Fairy Blood
by tickledblue
Summary: It's not easy being part of a powerful and ancient race. It's not easy being hunted and killed repeatedly. And it's definitely not easy having an annoying (yet dashing) bodyguard. (complete)
1. Prologue

Tania is a Mary Sue. You've been warned.

This story is undergoing an intense editing process. I am warning you now: things will not make sense in the later chapters. Thank you!

**FAIRY BLOOD**

**Prologue**

Mandy closed her eyes in attempt to prevent her tears from spilling. But, like a gentle river trickling through a broken dam, they slowly streamed down her pale cheeks and suspended under her chin before falling to the ground. She was a complete mess, but was either oblivious to it or didn't care.

_It can't be, _she thought hopelessly as she tightened her fists. _T__his wasn't supposed to happen! Faelin was supposed to be a dwelling of peace, to be filled with happiness for all eternity. A haven for the fairies…_

But all that was long gone. Her race, which was once strong and powerful, had fallen, like a crisp autumn leaf soon to be buried by a thick and frozen blanket of snow.

No more unity.

"It's the Saeryl's fault!" Mandy cried angrily. "The damn _Saeryl_."

The wind rippled suddenly, and a sweet scent of lilacs wafted in the air. A woman stood before Mandy, with a grim expression on her thin face. Grey curls grazed her weak shoulders, and she had deep lines at the corners of her eyes. She looked exhausted and ready to collapse.

"Mandy, do not blame on the Saeryl," she said softly, but with a harshness in her voice. "It was our own fault. We fairies were foolish enough to depend on it. Hence, our current state: lost, helpless, and desperate."

Mandy frowned. "I..."

"Now everyone's leaving Faelin," her companion cut in. "It may not be so hard on you since you already have a place outside of Faelin, but the others are not so fortunate. Many are lost, even furious at the fact that they have to find jobs and hide their identities in the kingdoms dominated by _humans_. We have to help them, Mandy."

"It isn't so hard for them to find jobs, Lucinda," said Mandy dismissively. "They can be cooks, shoemakers, blacksmiths, or servants. The possibilities are endless. Plus, small magic will aid them."

Lucinda's tired eyes widened. "How can you be so heartless?" she said disbelievingly. "Some of these fairies are _nobles_! Going from a duchess to a handmaiden! An earl to a silversmith! There are many who are actually soaring up to _Noewyn_ in a day or two!"

"This wouldn't have happened if we fairies hadn't relied so much on the Saeryl!" Mandy retorted angrily.

"It was a mistake, I admit," Lucinda countered, "but we have to stay strong. We have to, Mandy." Her eyes watered, and she shook her head desperately. "We cannot let ourselves fall..."

The last line was barely a whisper as Lucinda's voice trailed off to nothingness. Mandy paused and gazed fixedly at her friend, a calculating shrewdness in her eye. Lucinda, after brushing off her tears childishly with the back of her hand, looked up and met Mandy's sharp gaze.

"Well...?" she whispered.

Mandy's expression darkened. She broke off the gaze and turned her back abruptly. "We have already fallen," she replied frostily. "It's too late, Lucinda."

There was a gasp. Lucinda, mother of mistakes, stared incredulously at the broken fairy. How could this happen? Mandy used to have the highest spirit! She used to show the greatest wisdom and strength! Now, she was replaced by this…this…stranger.

"I can't believe you," she said softly.

Mandy sighed. "Let them go to Noewyn. Is something wrong with that?"

When Lucinda scowled, the lines on her face deepened. "If they all go to Noewyn, what happens when peace is brought back? Think, Mandy!" she said angrily. "There will be no fairies to witness that restoration." She released a sigh, a sigh which held a mixture of misery, anger, fear, and bitterness…

She continued very quietly, with her eyes cast down. "The lineages of fairies will end. Our very existence in this world will be forgotten. There are some who are aware of that, which is why they are not going to Noewyn, even though they are aching to."

Mandy gave her companion an impatient look. "What makes you think that peace for Faelin and the fairies will ever be returned?" she challenged.

"We cannot lose hope," Lucinda interjected. "Plus, there is still the Queen. Her royal blood has the power to use big magic."

Mandy let out a cold, bitter laugh at this. "Do you not know, Lucinda?"

Lucinda frowned. "Know what?" she said suspiciously.

"Our _wonderful_ Queen is gone."

Lucinda gasped. "What makes you think that?" she demanded. "You are jesting!"

Mandy shook her head. "I assure you that I am not. Why would I jest about something like that? She is now in Noewyn. There are witnesses of her ascension." She smiled sardonically. "It is quite funny, actually. Here you are, talking about staying strong, while the Queen herself had shown surrender."

"B-but...what about her sister?" Lucinda whispered, still in shock.

"Gone," Mandy said bluntly. "Also went up. There are witnesses of her ascension as well. The royal bloodline is at its end, Lucinda. Accept that."

Lucinda shook her head vigorously. "B-but…the Queen seemed so strong!"

"Well, you were obviously wrong," Mandy replied curtly.

Lucinda flinched. "How cruel of you to act this way, Mandy! Our race is suffering!"

Mandy could not bear to look at Lucinda's teary gaze. She cast her eyes down as her own tears threatened to let loose once more. She vaguely heard Lucinda sigh loudly, but she ignored it.

For a while, no one spoke. Both were in their own thoughts. Both were worried, wondering about what was to become of Faelin and its people, now that the Saeryl and their ruler were gone.

Finally, Mandy spoke. Her voice was very quiet and hesitant. "Forgive me, Lucinda, for being so cold, but the pain...it's just too much...one hundred and eighty-three years in this world, and I have just recently experienced the greatest torment of my life."

Lucinda softened. "I understand," she whispered. "I'm sorry for my anger."

Mandy nodded and sniffed quietly. "I'm sorry as well. And don't worry," she said shakily, "I will help. Who knows? Maybe you areright about this whole thing. Maybe peace _will_ someday be returned."

Lucinda smiled. "Thank you."

Mandy nodded and said, "I have to leave now. My godchild is waiting for me."

"How is Queen Ella?"

Mandy chuckled. "Impatient. But she should be delivering any day now."

"I give her my best wishes. Good night."

Mandy's smile was filled with deep sorrow. "Good night."

_That cold winter night was historical, a dark story to be passed down from generation to generation. Thousands of fairies shared the same pain as their bond broke and their spirits shattered. There was naught but a thin sliver of hope in their hearts. Nevertheless, it was a tiny portion that miraculously never weakened, as ten years went passing by with no signs of redemption..._

"Tania, Tania

Leave and go to Kyrria

Away, away, don't come near

What you need is a kick in the rear

Beware, she'll cast a spell on you

She's strange, abnormal, and creepy too

Stay away from this odd lass,

She's the Witch of Déoras!"

An eight-year-old girl with wavy chestnut-brown hair, teary eyes, and a trembling bottom lip quickened her pace. She _hated_ that song. She hated it, loathed it, despised it, abhorred it! She was at the verge of tears, but would rather die than let the other children see her cry like some...pathetic weakling.

"No human has your eyes!" a girl shouted. "You are not one of us!"

Tania, for that was the girl's name, ignored the remark as she hurried towards home. She chanted to herself repeatedly, telling herself not to cry.

Why was she considered strange? There were plenty of reasons, her eyes being one of them. While other human beings had either brown, blue, grey, or green eyes, she had purple ones, which was, of course, considered unnatural. Humorously enough, some foolish, pathetic, narrow-minded ones (Georgia's words) believed that if they looked into her eyes, they would get hypnotized.

Another reason was because of all the bizarre incidents that had always occurred whenever _she_ was around. A perfect example was during the 24th of May, when she was only six years old…

_"Why are we going to the marketplace, Mother?" six-year-old Tania asked._

_"We need to help the servants, sweet," her mother replied. "A very special banquet is occurring in two days and we have to help as much as we can."_

_After a few minutes, the mother and daughter reached the busy marketplace. Tania's eyes widened as she stared at the astonishing sight. She had never been in a marketplace before, and the loud chatter and laughter amazed her. The wooden carts, fruit and vegetable stands, loud vendors, and bad-tempered buyers aroused her curious nature._

_"We need fruits for the banquet," her mother said. "Come, Tania." She held on to her daughter's hand tightly and weaved through the massive crowd._

_Soon, they reached a stand filled with oranges, apples, and pears. _

_"Ah, here we are," Tania's mother said. "Hun, just hold on to my skirts while I pick some fruits. Is that clear? You mustn't get lost in a place like this."_

_Tania nodded._

_"Good." Her mother turned towards the fruits and started to pick the best ones._

_Tania's small hand grasped her mother's skirt, while her curious eyes followed the movements of various buyers and sellers. _

_All of a sudden, there was a loud shout. "**RUNAWAY CART!**"_

_Tania turned immediately. Her eyes widened with horror as she saw a heavy wooden cart head right towards her and her mother. Her legs felt like lead as she froze on the spot. She shut her eyes out of impulse, bracing herself. _

_She waited..._

_Waited..._

_Waited..._

_She felt nothing._

_Slowly, very slowly, she opened her eyes. She blinked in confusion as she suddenly became aware of the deadly silence that engulfed the marketplace. Even the pigeons were silent. She looked around and found that all the eyes of every being in the marketplace were fixed on _her_. Each pair of steady orbs showed different expressions: shock, bewilderment, and to her puzzlement, terror._

_A frowned crossed her features. Then she turned her head to look at the runaway cart._

_That was when she gasped out loud. _

_The cart was there, just two feet away from her. There was absolutely nothing and no one that was in its way. It just…stopped. Just like that…_

_It was her mother's voice that broke the silence. "Let's go, dear."_

_Tania, completely dazed, didn't feel her mother take her trembling hand. She only snapped back to reality when she felt herself being pulled away gently from the blasted spot…_

_And the moment she stepped out of the way, the cart reacted. It ran forward...and crashed into the fruit stand._

Stories of the "cart girl" quickly spread around after that incident. That was the very first public incident that centered on Tania's strangeness. Unfortunately for her, it was not the last. More incidents came, and each and every one of them helped with the forming of her poor reputation.

The kids were now on the fourth verse of the offensive song. Tania picked up her pace. She didn't want to hear those awful words. She hummed a tune softly to herself and mentally chanted: _Ignore them, Ignore them, Ignore them._

Finally, she reached her manor. It was the one place where she felt safe, despite the fact that there _were_ some gossipy servants in there who talked about her peculiarity. It was a good thing that such conversations were secret.

Her mother, who was at the drawing room, greeted her. "How is Dame Leslie, Tania?" she asked pleasantly

Tania's eyes lit up. "She's just fine, Mother," she said with a grin. "Here is roly-poly pudding from her." She held up a covered dish. "I helped her make it."

"Then I can't wait to try it."

"Will you try it now?"

"We must wait for your father, Tania," her mother reminded gently.

Tania pouted, but said nothing. Lady Evelyn handed the dish to a passing scullery maid, who nodded and took it silently.

"Now," said the mistress of the manor as she turned to her daughter, "shall we review your Ayorthaian?"

Tania shook her head. "I already know it, Mother."

"What about your Kyrrian?"

"I know it as well."

"Then what about your Gnomic?"

".lornfiv misturel uf veln plurvaN"

"And your Elfian?"

"Emcko lurs puveni."

"Abdegi?"

"Heenvii (_screech_) onns loobru fiil."

"Tania, I am certainly impressed!" her mother praised. "You are indeed following my footsteps. When you grow up, you will be the best linguist in Geldrin."

Tania plopped down on the couch and rested her elbows on armrest. "What is it like to be Court Linguist, Mother?" she asked curiously.

Lady Evelyn's jade eyes twinkled. "Well, a Court Linguist translates languages for the people in court," she explained. "It is a very honourable job."

"Do the king and queen know how to speak Abdegi or Gnomic?"

Tania's mother laughed. "No, sweet. That is why my presence is required whenever there is a visitor who does not speak our tongue."

A deep, cheerful voice suddenly interrupted the conversation. "I'm home!" At this, the mother and daughter turned simultaneously. Their faces broke into large grins when they saw a tall man with dark brown hair and a tidy beard standing near the doorway. He was dressed in traveller's clothes, his black boots filled with dry, brown mud.

"Father!" Tania shrieked happily. She rose quickly and ran to his arms.

The man lifted her and swung her in the air. He did this effortlessly, as if he had been doing it for a long time. His grey eyes twinkled merrily as he beamed at his daughter. "How are you, my dear?"

"Happy," Tania replied. "I brought home roly-poly pudding. It's from Dame Leslie."

"Wonderful! Tell Dame Leslie that we all thank her graciously." Sir James tweaked her nose affectionately, then turned to his wife. He smiled. "Still as beautiful as ever…"

Lady Evelyn chuckled. "And you still haven't lost your charm after three weeks," she said, leaning over and giving her husband a quick kiss on the lips.

"Well," Sir James said while he put his daughter down, "I don't know about the two of you, but I'm starving."

"I'm hungry too!" Tania piped up.

Lady Evelyn grinned. "Lead the way, hun," she said to her daughter.

Tania, whose face was brightened with joy, led the way, while her parents followed behind.

On the way to the dining room, Lady Evelyn talked to her husband. "So, how was the trip, James? Did you make any good trades?"

"Yes, I sure did," Sir James replied with a pleased grin. "I made a very fair trade with the sculpture by that elf from Kyrria…Agulen, I think…"

* * *

"Hello, Mandy," a voice greeted cheerfully as that someone entered the palace kitchen. 

Mandy looked up from her work and smiled brightly when she saw Ella. "Hello, sweet," she said in return.

Ella, wife to King Charmont of Kyrria, was still as beautiful as ever, but changed as well. Her eyes were still green, but they contained more knowledge on life and love. She still had that playfulness in her, but also the gentle radiance of a queen. She had blossomed throughout the years, and was still doing so.

"What are you doing here?" Mandy asked.

Ella shrugged. "Char is in the menagerie with Jayden and Eileen, so I thought I would help you out. What do you want me to do?"

"Well," Mandy said thoughtfully, "I'm actually going to make chocolate cake after this carrot soup, so why don't you prepare the ingredients?"

Ella nodded. "All right." She walked over to the cabinets and began to bring out the ingredients. Finding them was no hard work since she always spent a lot of time in the kitchen.

As she was setting the bag of flour on the table, she began to laugh.

Mandy looked at her, her lips fixed into an amused smile. "What's so funny?"

"Oh," Ella said with a chuckle, "it's just something that Jayden did this morning. He broke a vase with his slingshot and tried to pin it on Eileen."

Mandy raised an eyebrow. "And you find that amusing?"

"No, no." Ella shook her head vigorously. "It's just the way he did it that made it amusing. You should have seen him, Mandy. He's quite the troublemaker." She sighed. "I'm afraid he will influence Eileen in a not-so-good way."

Mandy chuckled. "He's just like you when you were his age."

Loud peals of laughter suddenly interrupted the silence of the palace kitchen. Three figures walked in: a man and two children. The man was handsome and tall, with tawny curls and swarthy skin. He brought with him a charming and kingly presence. He was carrying a six-year-old girl on his back, one with long, beautiful curls and the brown eyes of her father, but the complexion of her mother. The young boy beside him had most of Ella's features: straight, jet-black hair and the greenest eyes. His strong bone structure, however, came from his father.

The little girl squirmed out of her father's hold, and when released, ran and wrapped her arms around her mother's waist. The mother hugged back laughingly.

"Hello, Eileen," Ella greeted. Then she turned to her ten-year-old son and playfully ruffled his hair. "How is the old parrot, Jayden?"

A sweet, toothy grin appeared on Jayden's face. "Keech is just fine," he replied. "He learned a new phrase today."

"Oh? And what phrase is that?"

Jayden paused and furrowed his eyebrows as he desperately tried to remember. "Well," he said afterwards, "I remember what it is, but I can't really say it, Mother. It's in another language."

Ella chuckled. Her son did not inherit her remarkable skill with tongues.

"Abdegi," Char offered to his wife.

Ella smiled, in return to her husband's affectionate grin.

The love that these two shared was remarkable. It was so great that many Kyrrians believed that it was unbreakable. Of course, they had their little quarrels now and then, but that was a normal part of marriage life. The truth was, and many believed it so, that their love was still growing stronger and stronger everyday despite many years of being married.

Char smiled as he watched his wife spend time with their two children. A third one was on the way, and he was extremely joyful about that. He had never thought ten years ago that this whole thing was possible.

But it was. And he was extremely grateful. The night when he unintentionally ordered her to marry him, the night when she confronted her curse to save him and Kyrria, would forever linger in his memory.

Snapping out of his thoughts and putting on a smile, he said, "Did Stephan come by?"

Ella shook her head. "No, but Sir Bertram did."

"What did he say?"

"Something about the thieves in Bast."

"I'll get to it."

Ella turned to her son. "Jayden, I want you to take a bath. We are going to eat soon. I trust that there won't be any trouble from you?" She raised an eyebrow and looked at him questionably.

Jayden smiled and nodded his head innocently (too innocently). "Yes, Mother."

"Good. Remember your word." She looked her sternest. "If you need me, I shall be in Eileen's room. Now, let's go upstairs." She turned to the palace cook (known to her family as the fairy godmother). "We'll see you later, Mandy."

Mandy nodded. Then she turned to the prince and princess, the sly grin on her lips making the royal family suspicious. "Jayden and Eileen," she said amusedly, "don't worry. I won't forget to give you Tonic."

Jayden groaned, while Eileen whined.

"You too, Ella and Char."

Ella and Char groaned.

"Tonic is very good for you," Mandy reminded.

"We know that, Mandy," Jayden whined, "but I don't like the feel of it when it slides down my throat."

"Mandy means well," Ella said to her family as she put an arm around her son's shoulders. "Now, let's go. Suppertime is near."

The four monarchs of Kyrria, like any normal family, left to prepare for supper.

Well…maybe except Jayden. That boy would never _just _prepare for supper.

It made the castle servants wonder exactly _what _he would be like when he is all grown up.


	2. The Annoying Rescuer

**Chapter One: The Annoying Rescuer  
**(edited version)

Tall trees with the widest and greenest leaves enveloped Lake Narlow, which provided a sense of security. The lake itself was a remarkable beauty, with its crystal-blue waters and peaceful waves.

At the very edge of the lake was a dark grey boulder, and there perched two young girls, sitting lazily. One was Tania, soon to be sixteen, while the other was Kylee, her best friend of five years.

"I don't understand how Robert got the idea that I'm interested in him," Kylee groaned as she buried her face in her knees.

"Well, he's delusional. Not to mention _obsessed_. Being beautiful must be curse," Tania joked.

Kylee scowled. "That is not funny."

Her best friend laughed in reply. "Oh, lighten up. Forget about him. He can't help being so obsessive. I mean, all you did was smile politely at him…what is it about your smile that makes them go wild anyway?"

"They don't go wild!" Kylee retorted.

Tania patted her friend's head in mock sympathy. "So naïve…"

Kylee _was _truly beautiful. Most girls envied every feature she had. She was the type of girl you would love to hate, but couldn't, because she was so damn _nice_.

"Why is it so hot?" the girl complained as she tied her jet-black hair into a messy ponytail.

Tania shrugged. "It's summer, what can you expect?" She grinned suddenly. "Let's go for a swim!"

Kylee snorted and rolled her eyes. "I don't want to get soaking wet, thank you."

"We can change when we get back to the manor," Tania protested. She tugged the sleeve of her friend's dress, but to no avail. "Come _on_," she whined like a two-year-old, "where's your sense of _fun_?"

"With my _common sense_," Kylee replied firmly, crossing her (according to the boys) beautifully tanned arms.

"All you have to do is jump off this rock! Just one jump and you'll feel refreshed by the cool water…"

"No."

Tania shrugged. "You're loss," she said with a singsong voice. She rose, and before her Kylee could say her witty comeback (for sure she had one), jumped off the high boulder.

There was a big splash as the refreshing coolness of the lake water welcomed her. She swam up, and when her head was bobbing above the surface, trod water, for it was already deep.

"The water is soooo nice!" she yelled, grinning wolfishly. "Jump in!"

Kylee remained silent. Then, very slowly, her lips curved into a devious grin. "Fine," she said slyly, "I will jump in."

Tania shot her a wry look. "I know that voice," she said dryly. "It's the _I'll-do-what-you-want-me-to-do-on-one-condition_ voice."

Kylee burst out laughing. "You know me too well," she said, shaking her head.

"Well? What's your stupid condition?"

Kylee grinned. "I will only jump in if you swim to the middle and back," she said, then crossed her arms in a triumphant way.

Tania pouted. She would never do that, which Kylee knew. Rumour had it that the very middle of Lake Narlow was bottomless, and there dwelled a large water creature. Thus, children were afraid to venture more than twenty feet away from land. Tania was no longer a child (fifteen-year-old females were always considered "ladies"), but the rumour still frightened her.

"You know that I would never do that," she said accusingly.

Kylee shook her head. "That is just a rumour, Tania," she said. "It isn't true."

"Are you sure about that?" Tania countered.

"W-well…no," Kylee said awkwardly, "but you have to face your fea—"

"Then forget it," Tania said firmly. "I am not going to take any chances."

Kylee sighed. "I…" Suddenly, she trailed off, and for a moment there, colour left her face. Then she smacked her forehead and groaned.

Tania frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Oh…Georgia is going to _kill_ me!" her friend cried. Kylee rose quickly and began to climb down. When her feet touched the grass, she prepared to run off.

But Tania stopped her. "Wait! Why are you leaving so soon?"

Kylee turned. "I'm sorry, Tania, but I have to go," she said hastily. "Georgia, who you know is going to bake a cake for your birthday, told me to buy flour and sugar this morning. She told me to have it by noon…and it's already one o' clock! You know how angry Georgia can get, don't you? Well, bye!" She waved and ran off, not giving Tania a chance to say anything.

"Wait!" Tania shouted. "I'll help you!"

Kylee didn't hear the shout. She was too far off.

Tania gave up, sighed, and began to swim towards the land.

All of a sudden, an icy gust of wind blew, and a strange chill swept through her entire body, making her blood run cold.

Something was not right...

Her surroundings were changing all too quickly. Thick grey clouds were beginning to loom up above, covering the sun entirely. It grew dark and cold, and a fierce bitter wind began to howl loudly and angrily.

Something was definitely not right.

The lake water was getting colder now. Tania shivered as goose bumps crawled all over her.

Big waves began to form, violent and lashing. It was like a horrible storm, a phenomenon intent on destroying anything in its way.

The waves were becoming larger and stronger by the second. Tania gasped and held her breath as a wave eight feet high hit her in the face. She felt as if she had been slapped hard, and the after effect was a thousand icy needles prickling her skin.

She began to swim towards land. _Swim swim swim swim swim swim swim swim…_

It was all she could do. **_Swim swim swim swim swim swim swim swim…_**

Her arms and legs began to throb. Her heart was pounding roughly and painfully, and there was a loud roaring in her ears.

_I should rest a bit…_

_No! Don't give up!_

_But…I'm…tired…_

_No!_

_I'll just stop for two seconds…_

_You'll die! Stop it! Just keep swimming!_

_But…so tired…I…can't…_

_Yes, you can! Swim! Swim or drown!_

She swam. She kicked and paddled with her aching arms.

But the waves were mocking. They crashed violently against her, pushing her away from land.

Then Tania began to panic when she realized something. She was being led to the middle. The bottomless middle, where the lake monster dwelled…

_Are you the one who is doing all this?_

Tania's eyes widened. **_WHAT?!_** _I am not a witch! I am not a witch! I am not a witch! **I am not a witch!**_

The angry waves thrashed again and again. The land seemed farther away than before.

Tania closed her eyes. _I can't do this…I'm so tired…_

She had come to her last resort. She took a deep breath and screamed: "**_HELP!!!_**" And when she did, numbing lake water entered through her nose and mouth…

…and she remembered no more.

* * *

Air suddenly flowed in her and she began to cough violently. Her windpipe felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and the throbbing pain in her nose surged all the way up to her brain. 

Finally, she eased down after a long series of coughing fits. She sat up slowly and rubbed her temple.

"Are you all right, my lady?"

She turned abruptly. She had sense enough not to gape, for she found herself looking at a very handsome man with ocean-blue eyes and blond hair. He was soaking wet, and there was no doubt that he was her rescuer. He was still young: he looked to be about two or three years older. His garb was simple, consisting of a loose white shirt, with buttons at the front, and brown pants. Beside him rested his black knee-high boots.

He was the one who broke the silence. "Are you all right?" he asked again.

Tania gave a small nod. "I…think so," she said weakly. She made a motion to stand up, but he stopped her from doing so by putting a hand on her arm.

"Maybe you shouldn't move," he said, concern etched in his face. "You are still weak."

Tania shook her head stubbornly and pulled herself away from him. "I'm fine," she said firmly.

She was a little liar. One side of her head was throbbing painfully, as if someone just punched her with all the strength they could muster. Her windpipe still felt clogged, and her leg and arm muscles were aching terribly.

"I'm fine," she repeated again, more firmly this time.

He stared curiously at her, then slumped and sighed in defeat. "Fine."

She nodded and began to stand up. Her knees were shaking, almost _knocking_, actually, but she ignored it. Which was really idiotic, for the moment she _tried _to straighten them, they gave in.

She collapsed to the ground.

"I told you," he said with a shrug.

Tania glared at him. "Rub it in, why don't you?"

You would think by now that she had learned her lesson, but no…she went for another attempt. As she tried to stand up, he just watched her amusedly.

She would have collapsed again, but he jumped forward and caught her in time. He set her down on the ground gently and sat beside her.

"Stupid pounding headache," Tania mumbled to herself as she rubbed her temples.

"Don't move," he said sternly. "Would it really _kill_ you if you sit still for a couple of minutes? I'm not _that _bad of a company…I hope."

Finally, Tania showed some civility. She laughed.

He grinned, pleased with her reaction. "My name is Darrin."

"Tania…and…uh…thank you for saving me."

"You're most welcome, my lady," he replied gallantly.

"It's Tania," she corrected (a bit irritably, though she didn't mean it), "not 'my lady'."

He nodded. "I'll try to remember that."

Tania nodded and looked at the lake. It didn't surprise her that everything was back to normal.

"It's strange," he said, gazing pensively at Lake Narlow. "I've never seen something like that before. The change happened too quickly. It wasn't natural."

She looked at him curiously. "How were you able to save me?"

He shrugged. "I'm an excellent swimmer," he said simply. "And it was fortunate that I happened to pass by when you screamed for help. If I hadn't come, you could have…uh…n-never mind."

"I am well-aware of the fact that I could have died," she said, struggling not to roll her eyes.

"Well," he said with an apologetic grin, "I did not think it was proper for me to say such things to a noble girl."

"Because I have delicate ears and a weak heart?" she said dryly.

He shook his head. "Forgive me, I did not mean to offend you," he said, "but you have to admit that you noble girls are all the same."

"Excuse me?" Tania said incredulously, hardly believing her ears. "How, may I ask, are we the same?"

"Well," he said with an offhand tone in his voice, "you all spend your days not doing any work, you can sleep as long as you want, you have more than two dozen elegant dresses, you have servants, you go to parties and enjoy balls, you brag about how many suitors you have…I can go on, my lady. If you ask me, noble girls are lazy and spoiled. They will never survive in the real world. Tell me, have you ever lifted a finger before to do a simple, servant's task? I seriously doubt it."

Tania stood up angrily. "You narrow-minded…IDIOT!" she shouted, ignoring the amusement in his face, "I've never met a more prejudiced man!" She picked up her drenched skirts and began to stomp away.

"Forgive me," he said lazily, making her stop dead in her tracks, "but I've met many noble girls in my life, and they _were _all the same. Don't tell me that you don't have a lot of dresses and that you don't think about how many suitors you have."

She turned abruptly and glared at him. "Not that it's any of your business," she said frostily, "but no, I do not have a lot of dresses, and no, I do not have any suitors because people think I am strange…including lowly idiotic men like _you_."

Unbeknownst to her, her eyes were blazing furiously at him. He started and gazed numbly at them.

"Your eyes...they're…purplish," he stated quietly.

She gasped. "Are they _really_?" she said with an overly surprised (and sarcastic) voice. "Because _nobody_ has _ever_ said that before, nor have I _ever_ looked at my reflection."

He shifted awkwardly. "I'm sorry." He paused, then looked at her inquisitively. "Did you say that people think you're strange?"

She stiffen, then glared. "Not as much as I think you're annoying, I hope."

"Now, is that the way to show gratitude? Come on, I even had to do mouth to mouth on you."

She stiffened once more, and an untimely redness crept up her cheeks, for that gave him more to grin about.

"Good day," she said coolly, and began to walk away.

"Good day," he said pleasantly. "Until our next meeting."

She blanched at that.

* * *

Tania reached her manor in time to see Kylee running towards the back entrance with a bundle in her hand. 

"Kylee!" she called.

Kylee turned around, and when she caught sight of her friend, waved. She slowed her pace, while Tania quickened hers.

Tania caught up a few seconds after. "Hi."

Kylee smiled. "Did you have a good swim?"

"I…" Tania paused. She frowned, debating whether to tell her friend about what happened or not. In the end, she decided against it. She knew that Kylee would worry too much. "Yes. The water was great."

The two entered through the back door that led to the enormous kitchen immediately. Golden sunlight poured through the glass windows, and inside, they saw a tall and wiry woman with grey hair fixed into a tight bun. She was wearing a white apron underneath her dark brown dress.

When Georgia spotted Kylee, she frowned. "Little missy, I told you to get the ingredients by noon," she scolded. "Lady Tania's birthday is tomorrow."

"I'm sorry," Kylee apologized. "I—"

"It's my fault," Tania cut in hastily. "I asked her to stay with me at Lake Narlow. Anyway, can I help make the cake, Georgia?"

Georgia shook her head instantly. "Like I said before, Lady, you must not be involved in a servant's task."

Tania sighed wearily. "But I wantto help," she protested. "Besides, there's nothing else to do."

The cook pursed her thin lips together as she observed Tania's defiant stare. Finally, she sighed and nodded. "Change out of your dress first—I'm not even going to ask why you're all wet—then get six eggs from the henhouse," she said. "After that, you will measure the ingredients. Personally, Lady, I do not understand _why_ you want to help. Most noble girls are _afraid _to enter the kitchen in fear of getting soot on their dress."

Tania shrugged. "I am not like them," she replied.

_I'm not like anybody, _she addedsilently.

* * *

With a basket of eggs in her hand, Tania left the henhouse and headed back to the manor. She walked slowly and carefully, as to not to break the eggs (or Georgia would have her head). 

Suddenly, she felt a presence. She wheeled around, and when she found herself face to face with someone with stormy blue eyes and an amused grin, she started.

Darrin.

"Well, well," he said with a cheeky grin, "I see that Lady Tania is doing a servant's job."

Tania shot him her most vicious glare. "Go away," she said coldly. "You are trespassing. This is private property, in case you haven't noticed."

He laughed, which made her loathe him even more. He didn't make the slightest motion to leave. Instead, he walked alongside her, matching her quick and angry steps with long, easy strides. Tania made an annoyed noise and sped up, which did not help. He followed along with no trouble at all,causing her to make an angry noise and settle with just ignoring him.

_Before_ he started to whistle. After that, she just lost all composure.

"What do you want?" she demanded angrily, stopping to glare at him. "You better leave this property…or I'll tell my father!"

"Of course it always ends up with you running to your dear father," he said as he rolled his eyes and placed his hands in his pockets. "Can't you solve your own problems for once?"

Tania tightened her grip on the basket. She took a step forward and peered at him with narrowed eyes. "You are such a…"

She paused, then took a very deep breath. _Control yourself. Control yourself. Control yourself. _

He grinned, very amused. "Go on…"

She released her breath, then shot him an icy stare. "No," she said stonily, "you are not worth getting mad at."

* * *

It was suppertime. Tania and her parents were sitting at the everyday table, eating quietly. For some strange reason, there was a heavy uneasiness in the air. Lady Evelyn was playing nervously with her napkin, while Sir James was focusing too much on his food. 

Tania cleared her throat loudly, and they both jumped at the same time. She frowned and shot them an enquiring look. Both responded with a forceful and awkward smile

"Am I…uh…missing something here?" Tania asked quietly. "What's wrong?"

She saw them exchange glances, which irritated her. What were they hiding?

Lady Evelyn shifted in her seat, then cleared her throat. "It's…uh…your birthday tomorrow," she commented.

Tania looked strangely at her. "Yes…" she said slowly. "I know."

"You're turning sixteen," her father spoke up gravely.

Tania wondered why he said it as if he was dreading it. "And that's bad because…?"

"No!" Lady Evelyn cut in hastily. "That's not bad at all! That's wonderful! Really!"

She was a horrible actress. Tania shot her mother a look. _Why are they behaving like this? What's bothering them? Even Father, who is usually so calm and collected, is so...edgy._

Suddenly, an idea dawned on her. She cleared her throat nervously. "Mother, Father, does this have something to do with…marriage?"

"No!" her mother said immediately. This time, her voice sounded sincere. "Not at all, Tania."

Tania literally breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm not ready for that._

Her father cleared his throat. "Tania," he began uneasily, "your mother and I think that the moment you turn sixteen, your life will be…uh…different. Strang_er_ things will be happening."

Tania stiffened, hurt at this remark. Her father never talked about her peculiarity. "What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice void of emotion.

The mistress of the manor shook her head. "We cannot tell you right now, but we think that you should have someone to protect you."

Tania released a snort. She received a disapproving look from her mother because of that, but ignored it. "Protect me?" she echoed amusedly. "What for?" Then a sudden thought came to her. She eyed both of her parents warily. "Does this have anything to do with what happened at the lake?"

Her mother jumped. "Why?" she _almost _screeched. "What happened at the lake? Tell me!"

Tania gulped. "Uh…n-nothing!" she replied shakily.

Her parents exchanged glances again.

"Tania," Sir James said, "we…uh…hired someone to be your bodyguard."

An amused look appeared on Tania's face. "Why? Does someone want to kill me the moment I turn sixteen?" she joked. She broke into laughter, but it died down immediately when she saw her parents' faces darken.

"Uh…yes," Lady Evelyn said quietly, looking down on her plate.

There was a ringing silence. Tania gaped at her mother, unable to speak.

"I'll bring out the lad," her father spoke up quietly. He wiped his mouth with his napkin, then said, "He is skilled at combat. He will be able to protect you, Tania. I will be back shortly." He stood and walked out of the dining room.

Tania remained silent. _Lad? Skilled at combat? Able to protect me?_ Suddenly, she groaned and banged her head on the table. _Somehow_ she already knew who that particular lad was.

She heard her father's voice a moment later. "Tania…"

She looked up and saw an oh-so-familiar face.

"…meet Darrin."

Tania's mind was unable to function at that moment. Either it was because she banged her head earlier…or because of Darrin's stupid (yet annoyingly handsome) grin.

This should be _very _interesting.


	3. Voices in the Air

**Chapter Two: Voices in the Air  
**(edited version)

Tania shook her head vigorously. "I can't," she said to her parents, "I just can't."

Lady Evelyn frowned at her daughter's reaction. "What are you talking about, Tania?" she asked in confusion.

Tania took a deep breath. "I _cannot _spend one minute with this…_person_," she replied, pointing a shaky finger at Darrin.

"My name is Darrin, Lady Tania," said person piped up with a _very_ polite (yet strangely mocking, but only Tania sensed that) voice.

"Oh, shut up!" she snapped, glaring fiercely. "I am not going to fall for that fake politeness of yours."

Sir James started. "Tania," he said with a warning tone, "do not be rude."

Darrin spoke up. "I am used to such treatment from noble girls," he said breezily. He turned and looked at her with laughing eyes.

Tania, upon sensing his amusement, exploded. "**_I WILL NOT HAVE THIS…THIS _BRUTE_ AS MY BODYGUARD!_**" she yelled. "**_WHY DO I NEED ONE ANYWAY?_**"

Lady Evelyn gasped. "**_TANIA!_**" she shouted. "**_Do NOT raise your voice at us! This is for your own GOOD, and Darrin IS the best and most loyal fighter! Whether you like it or not, he WILL be your BODYGUARD!_**"

Tania paused while staring at her mother, then sighed heavily. "I'm sorry," she said wearily, "I don't mean to be angry…but…I'm so…_frustrated. _And damn clueless! You won't explain to me anything! Tell me why someone wants to kill me, Mother."

Her parents exchanged dark looks. Again.

She sighed angrily. "If you don't tell me…I am going to run away," she threatened.

"Not if I can help it," Darrin piped up, who was still grinning like some idiot.

"Shut up!" Tania shot him a glare, then turned back to her parents. "_Please_ tell me."

For a moment there, Lady Evelyn looked as if she was about to consider it, but then sighed and shook her head, much to Tania's disappointment. "Go to your room, Tania," she said silently. "I'm sorry, but we cannot tell you. Please understand."

Silence. No one dared to move or say a word. Tania stood menacingly, looking in frustration at one parent to the next. Lady Evelyn and Sir James looked grave and tired, and even Darrin wore a serious expression on his face as he leaned comfortably against the wall.

It was Tania who broke the silence. "Fine," she said very softly as left the dining room, "good night."

* * *

Tania walked up the stairs slowly, with a certain someone following close behind. 

"Will you stop following me?" she said angrily at her _lovely_ companion.

Darrin grinned and shook his head. "No can do, my lady."

"Wipe that stupid grin off your face."

His grin grew wider and his eyes danced, and because he wanted to annoy her even more, he took a step, closing the gap between him and her.

It worked. Tania let out an angry sigh and shot him her famous glare.

Darrin chuckled. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "if I'm going to be your shadow for the next months or maybe even _years_"—he made sure he emphasized the word "years"—"you might as well be nice to me now."

"You are _not_ my bodyguard," she replied firmly.

"Forgive me, but are you deaf, my lady?" he said with an innocent voice. "Your parents just told you downstairs that I am."

"I'm going to do something about it."

"What can you do about it?" he said, sounding _very_ amused. "Your parents think that I am the best for the job."

She ignored him and continued to walk on.

Darrin shrugged and remain silent. Later on, he snuck his fourth sideway look at his companion. Her lips were pursed tightly together and she had a ruddy shade on her cheeks. She walked with brisk, hurried steps.

He smiled at that, then said, "So…don't you have a question for me?"

"Of course I have a question for you," she retorted. "Why is your head extremely massive and why is your brain smaller than an acorn?"

"Ha-ha, that's pretty funny," he said, rolling his eyes. "And by the way, that's _two _questions."

"Amazing, you can count."

Darrin chose to be the mature one, so he didn't shoot back a retort, even though he was dying to. Because she was answered by silence, Tania smiled, thinking that she had won the squabble.

After a moment of silence, Darrin cleared his throat. "Seriously," he said, "don't you have a question for me?"

Tania groaned. "What question?" she said in exasperation.

Darrin raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to ask me if I know anything about what your parents are hiding from you?" An annoying, mysterious smile appeared on his face when he saw that he had managed to catch her attention.

Tania paused. It was true…she hadn't asked him anything about that. How did he end up with this job? Why did her parents think that they could trust _him_,of all people?

She took a deep breath. "Do you know anything?" she asked softly.

His smile turned into a grin. "Maybe."

Her eyes widened. "You are such a child!" she cried out as she opened her bedroom door and stepped in. She turned back around and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Just tell me!"

Darrin gave her a long, pensive look. He then nodded and said, "I will tell you, if you do something for me…" His voice was suddenly low and husky. He took a step forward, closing the gap between them. Meeting her wide eyes, he arched an eyebrow and stared intently at her.

Tania backed away. "No _way_!" she bellowed. "I am _not_ going to kiss you or do anything else on that matter!"

Darrin threw his head back at this and laughed. "What makes you think I want that?" he said, amusement lacing his voice. He grinned and shook his head. "No offence, but you are not my type."

There was a stunned silence, filled with embarrassment on Tania's side.

"Oh." Her cheeks were flaming, which she knewhe found amusing. And he knew that she knew that he knew, which made him chuckle and lean contentedly against the doorframe.

"So," she said, clearing her throat awkwardly, "uh…what is your condition then?" Was it just her or did her voice sound so…high-pitched? She certainly hoped not.

Darrin grinned. "If you say 'Darrin is really handsome and nice,' I will tell you all that I know."

Her eyes flashed the moment he said this, herself going from embarrassed to angry. "Over my dead body," she growled. "In your dreams, Darrin. _In your dreams._"

He chuckled. "It's your loss, my lady." He nodded politely and turned to leave.

Tania's brain screamed at her: _Don't let him leave, you fool! _

"Wait!" She grabbed his arm impulsively, and he stopped and gave her a questioning look. "Uh…all right," she told him, while cursing her brain at the same time. He grinned, and she took a deep breath. "I…uh…think that Darrin is…really handsome and nice," she announced, purposely cringing at the word "handsome."

He burst out laughing, and she crossed her arms in annoyance as she waited for him to sober up.

"I didn't know you felt that way," Darrin said, while wiping a tear from his eye.

She chose to ignore that stupid remark. "Now tell me everything you know about my parents' secret," she commanded.

His laughter stopped, and he became serious all of a sudden. He nodded and leaned over, bringing his lips close to her ear. Tania gulped as his tall figure loomed over hers, but she didn't push him away.

"I'll tell you everything I know," he whispered, his warm breath fanning her ear.

"Go on," Tania said. Her heart was pounding heavily, and she was unsure whether it was because of the information she was about to find out or because of him being so…close.

"I know…"

She held her breath.

"…absolutely nothing."

"**_YOU BRUTE!_**" Tania screamed instantly. She shoved him away with all the strength he could muster, and he staggered out of her room, a wolfish grin fixed on his face.

She slammed the door shut angrily. **_BANG._**

"**_I don't want to see your ugly face again!_**"

Even with thick walls to separate them, Tania could still hear his howls of laughter.

* * *

The moment Tania woke up in the morning, she realized instantly that what her parents had been dreading had now occurred. She was sixteen years old. 

She didn't feel different at all. She still felt as if she was fifteen. She frowned, as she recalled back to last night. _What was Father talking about last night? He said that strange things are going to happen…_

Shaking her thoughts away, she rose and made up her bed. After changing into a dark blue dress, she brushed her hair, tied it into a half-ponytail, and braided it once.

When she opened her bedroom door, she nearly screamed when she saw _something_ sprawled on the doorstep. Then she almost burst out laughing when she realized that it was only Darrin, sleeping away.

The corners of her lips curved into a devious smile. Then, without any mercy whatsoever, she stepped on his stomach and crossed over him.

"Oof!" As if in impulse, Darrin grabbed the sword lying beside him and pointed the blade straight at Tania. He did it so _quickly_ that _she_ couldn't help but be impressed.

But of course, she would rather _die_ than have him find that out.

"Uh…I _think_ you're supposed to protect me, and not the other way around," she said cheekily.

He glared at her. "You—"

Suddenly, he stopped. His glare vanished in a split second, and his face lost colour as he stared fixedly at her. Tania frowned and tried to stare back defiantly, but was caught off-guard when she saw a strange expression in his eyes. What was it? Confusion? Amazement? Anger? Uncertainty? Uh…sadness?

She couldn't tell at _all_. But it _was_ unnerving.

She glared. "What is wrong with you?" she asked with a dangerous voice. "_Stop staring!_"

Darrin jumped—which was very much unlike him—and snapped out of his hypnotized state. He blinked, then shook his head vigorously. "Nothing's wrong," he said quietly. When he met Tania's eyes, his glared returned, and she was actually _relieved _to see it. "Did you just step on my stomach?"

She shrugged. "You were in the way."

He scowled. "Thank you for treating me like a rug."

"And thank you for tricking me last night," she replied.

His scowl was immediately replaced by an amused grin. "That was pretty funny," he replied, chuckling to himself.

"It was not! You are so immature…to play a trick like that."

"Immature…as well as really handsome, right?" The familiar devilish grin appeared on his face. Tania responded by kicking his side, but it was obvious that he did not feel any pain because he kept on grinning.

"Be quiet," she muttered.

"Hey, it came from your own mouth! You said that I was handsome!" Darrin said in defense.

"That's because you forced me to say it!" she said fiercely. "I thought that you knew something about my parents' secret!"

"Tania, Tania, Tania." He shook his head as he rose from the floor, using the scabbard for support. Then he sheathed his sword, with mirthful blue eyes fixed on her. "Your parents are not stupid. Why should they tell me anything if they don't know me that well?"

Tania frowned. He did have a good point, but of course, she refused to agree with him. She huffed and headed for the stairs. Darrin followed and found his place, which was right next to her. He had no trouble keeping up with her brisk strides, much to her annoyance. It was like reliving yesterday.

"Who _are_ you anyway?" she asked as they went down the hallway.

He gave her a look. "Have you gone mad? Or do you just have a horrible memory? I am_ Darrin, _your _bodyguard_."

Tania rolled her eyes. "I _really_ wonder if anybody in this whole world likes you…" It was meant to be an insult, but he took it the wrong way.

"Do you mean girls?" he said absent-mindedly. He shrugged. "Yes, a lot of them like me…giggle loudly whenever I pass by…follow me wherever I go…"

"Blind girls they must be," Tania said flippantly. "They don't know your true self."

Darrin just laughed. "My lady, do you even know my true self?"

"Of course," she retorted. "You are rude, sly, arrogant, proud, uncouth, deceitful, vulgar, haughty, full of yourself—"

"And handsome?" he interrupted with a glint in his eyes.

Tania exploded. "**_For the last time, stop it! I did not mean any of those words that I said last night!_**"

He laughed. She glared. Then she picked up her pace, and he did the same, with that same insane grin on his stupid face (Tania's own words).

They paused at the top of the red-carpeted stairs. It was here where a brilliant idea entered Tania's head. She laughed inwardly, congratulating her cunning mind.

_Perfect, just perfect, _she thought gleefully.

Darrin's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Why are you grinning?" he asked suspiciously.

Tania had not realized that she was grinning. She wiped it off immediately and replaced it with a scowl. "Is it illegal to grin now?" she challenged.

He shut his mouth after that. A long and dull moment of just standing there followed. Tania was waiting for the right moment, while Darrin was waiting for her.

Finally, he cleared his throat. "What are we doing here?" he said impatiently.

"I _think _we are standing at the top of the stairs, but I could be wrong," she replied with a casual air.

"Stop your sarcasm. Please. _Why_ are we standing here?"

She shot him a look. "We are standing here because I feel like it, and since you're my bodyguard, you will have to do the same thing too," she said triumphantly. She smirked, leaned against the banister, and started to hum a merry tune.

"Fine," Darrin said with scowl. He leaned against the banister beside her.

Thirty seconds passed.

One minute.

One minute and a half.

It was at the end of two minutes when Darrin released a cry of impatience and frustration. With a scowl on his face, he sat down on the carpet and crossed his arms.

_Perfect, _Tania thought, smiling inwardly. _It will take him time to get up. _

"Toodles," she said to him with a cheerful tone and a wave of her hand.

She quickly jumped on the banister, pushed herself, and slid down very easily, having done it so many times before.

The moment she landed at the bottom, she dashed away. She clearly had an advantage: she knew her way around the enormous manor, while _he_ didn't.

She ran as fast as she could, the rhythmical sound of her footsteps echoing throughout the walls. She ran past the banquet hall…past confused servants…into the kitchen (she greeted Georgia with a quick hello)…out into the open…and towards the stables.

_Damn, _she thought when she saw Erius in his stall withouta saddle or reins. It was hard to ride without both.

But she did not have a time to spare, so she released her black stallion from the stall and climbed up bravely. His back was glossy and smooth: she could easily slip off with one wrong move.

"Ride your fastest and do not stop," Tania whispered to her stallion's twitching ear. She held on to his neck tightly and kicked his sides.

The war-horse neighed loudly and galloped off.

The sun's golden shafts and the cool morning wind greeted them. Erius galloped against the wind, and Tania's hair blew away from her flushed face. A few seconds later and she saw a figure up ahead. She grinned when she saw who it was. Even from afar, she could see the rage in Darrin's face.

He stood in her way, as if daring her to proceed. "Stop!" he shouted.

_Right, Darrin. Like that will really stop me, _she thought wryly. _What a dolt._

She did not let Erius stop. In fact, she did the opposite. She kicked his sides, and the horse responded to the kick by picking up his pace. She saw Darrin's eyes widen, but he did not move, and she couldn't help but be impressed by him once more.

Erius was only a few metres away…

Ten…

Eight…

Five…

Three…

One…

Darrin jumped out of harm's way in time. When Tania looked back, she saw a look of fury on his face.

She grinned and waved.

* * *

Tania slowed Erius to a trot when they reached the outskirts of a lush forest. 

The forest was known as Emerlin Forest. It was twenty minutes away from Tania's manor, and it was a vast woodland that covered three kingdoms: Geldrin, Kyrria, and Arsen. There were many rumours that involved this quiet, mysterious area. Many believed that something (or someone) powerful dwelled deep within. The enchantment that the forest contained was so powerful that no one ever dared to venture in. Of course, those ones who _did_ venture in never returned to tell the tale.

Or so the rumours said.

Tania felt daring. She actually wantedto enter and discover Emerlin Forest's deep secrets, if such actually _did_ exist. Stupid or brave?

Probably both.

Erius immediately stopped at the entrance, refusing to take another step. He snorted and neighed loudly.

"Oh, come _on_," Tania told her stallion. "Don't tell me _you're_ scared. You're a war-horse, for crying out loud!" She kicked him lightly at the sides, but he did not budge.

She sighed. _My horse is afraid of a forest, _she thought wryly. _Fine. I'll go on my own. _

She climbed down, and it was in this moment when she realized that Erius had no bridle, which meant she couldn't tie him up.

"Great," Tania muttered.

All of a sudden, something dangling from the low branch of a tree caught her eye. She turned, then gaped.

A bridle.

She cheered inwardly. Although it was extremely odd to find such an item at the very edge of a forest, she shrugged off the thought. She took the bridle without hesitance and used them for Erius.

"Stay here, all right?" Tania said to her stallion.

He neighed in reply. She smiled, gave him an affectionate pat, then proceeded to walk in.

One step…

Another step…

Another step…

Someone grabbed her arm from behind. She yelped and immediately turned around.

It was Darrin. Tania did not even bother to hide her shock.

"How did you get here so fast?" she demanded. She saw that a brown horse was beside him, which shocked her. She didn't hear anything or anybody approach her from behind. Not one sound! She looked at him suspiciously. "How did you arrive so…quietly? It's actually creepy, you know."

"I have my ways," Darrin said gruffly, "but that doesn't matter. Do you know what you are doing?" He was in a really bad temper.

"I'm entering a forest, you halfwit," Tania said in reply. "What else does it look like?"

"A foolish and naïve girl placing herself in danger. This isn't just a normal forest, Tania. _This is Emerlin Forest_. Just to remind you, _my lady_, it is the oldest, most mysterious, and most dangerous forest of all! Do you know how much _enchantment_ there is inside?"

"I'll find out if you let me go," she replied. He was still holding her arm, but the grip had softened.

He shook his head. "I will not let you go," he said sternly.

Tania struggled to get free, but he was clearly very strong. He even looked _amused_ by her attempt. She glared at him. "Let me go! You are so annoying, did you know that?"

"And you are stubborn and foolish."

She glared at him, while he scowled at her.

A deadly silence followed as the two stared defiantly at each other, each feeling the same amount of anger surge in them. Tania maintained steady eye contact with him, not willing to back down first. No…she was not going to give him that kind of satisfactory.

_Just _look_ at him, _she thought sourly._ Acting so haughty! I could just punch him right now and…and…_

There was a soft whisper in the wind. Startled, Tania broke the gaze (much to his surprise and delight) and looked around.

There was no one in sight. Yet, she could have _sworn_ she heard something…

_"Tania..."_

There it was! There was _definitely_ a voice, and it was _definitely_ calling her name.

"What's wrong?" she heard Darrin ask. The angry tone in his voice was gone, replaced by a soft, concerned one.

"Don't you hear that?" she whispered, looking around wildly.

Then there was a soft gust of wind, and a ghostly song followed, chanted by many voices that sounded like melodic echoes. She did not know what language it was in, but for some reason, she was able to understand every word and every line…

_"Vema herilus tuarmul_

_Telae presimas halemal consas uste_

"Tania?" Darrin said worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"Hush!" Tania hissed fiercely, which instantly shut his mouth.

_Telae asidis els restus_

_Ese hatica peramae uste veloe_

_Ese uste sobe els Tania—_

_Ilis'Adelle Lovrin cesevi_

The words sounded strange, yet oddly familiar. They sounded powerful, and Tania couldn't help sensing something ancient behind them.

_Vema herilus tuarmul_

_Telae presimas halemal consas uste…"_

Then the musical voices trailed off, as if the wind carried them away, to somewhere distant.

The air was dead and silent.

"Tania? Tania? Are you all right?"

Tania, who was in a dreamy state, felt someone shake her gently. She frowned. _What? Who's shaking me? Oh…it's Darrin…_

She looked at him stupidly. "Huh…?" came the intelligent answer.

"Are you all right?" Darrin repeated. His voice was filled with worry. "You seem…dazed."

"I…I'm fine," she mumbled as she shut her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "Didn't you hear those voices?"

He looked at her strangely. "What voices?"

"I…" She paused. It was clear that he had heard nothing. "…n-never mind. Let's just leave."

Darrin chuckled. "I'm glad you've gone back to your senses."

Tania untied Erius distractedly as she thought about what just happened. _How could I understand that language? What language was it? Who were the ones singing it?_

And there was that one other question…

"Darrin…?" she spoke up quietly.

He turned instantly. "What is it?"

"Do you know anyone named Adelle Lovrin?"

She did not expect him to react the way he did. For a brief moment there, he lost all composure as he stiffened visibly and paled.

But it was only for a brief moment. It was so brief that she would not have seen it if she hadn't been looking at him so intently.

"No," he said, the moment he regained his composure. "Why?"

She shrugged. "No reason."

"Let's go," he said gruffly. He turned away from her and mounted his horse.

As they were riding away from Emerlin Forest, Tania snuck a sideway look.

A brooding darkness was radiating from him. He carried a heavy solemnity she had never seen in him before.

He was hiding something.

A/N:

If you're wondering about the language, I made it up! A mixture of Spanish and Estonian. Try to speak them out loud. They're a mouthful.

Translation:

"Come, fair lass,

She asks to speak with you.

She holds the answer

That will allow you to see

That you are _the_ Tania—

Adelle Lovrin's gem.

Come, fair lass,

She asks to speak with you…"


	4. Into Complete Darkness

**Chapter Three: Into Complete Darkness  
**(edited version)

There was a faint smell of freshly-baked bread mixed with cinnamon as Tania and Darrin entered the manor's kitchen. Kylee was alone inside, washing dishes by the copper sink.

She turned and smiled when she saw Tania. "Hi…" Her hazel-coloured eyes travelled to the tall, handsome man standing protectively beside her friend. "Who…?" she said quietly, trailing off and shooting Tania a quizzical look.

"Darrin," the man piped up.

Tania rolled her eyes. "She was not talking to you," she said irritably.

He ignored her, his gaze remaining fixed on her best friend. "And you are…?" he asked, in a sickeningly charming way (according to Tania).

Kylee smiled indifferently, as if unaffected by it. "Kylee."

"Unfortunately, he's my bodyguard," Tania said bitterly. "I think my parents have gone insane. They think that something is going to happen to me, now that I'm sixteen."

Kylee's eyes widened upon remembering that it was her best friend's birthday. "Oh," she said guiltily, "happy birthday! I'm so sorry I forgot!"

Tania smiled and shrugged. "That's all right. Don't worry about it."

"Let me get your present." Kylee left the kitchen hastily, not giving Tania a chance to reply.

Tania shrugged, sat down on a wooden stool, and drummed her fingers absent-mindedly on the counter. She would have tried to start a conversation with Darrin…but she didn't want to.

"I didn't get you a present," Darrin piped up.

She shrugged. "I don't need a present."

He smirked. "I wasn't going to get you one anyway."

"Shut up," she said half-heartedly.

And by some miracle, he obeyed her. A heavy silence followed, but Tania didn't notice, for she was still thinking about what happened by Emerlin Forest. Needless to say, she was still disturbed about it.

_To whom did those voices belong? How did they know my name? Who _is_ Adelle Lovrin?_

_And _why _is Darrin staring at me? _

Even though she was inattentive, she could still notice Darrin from the corner of her eye, and yes, he _was_ staring pensively at her. Annoyed by his rudeness, she turned and was about to snap at him, but Kylee suddenly entered the kitchen.

"I'm back!" her friend announced with a breathless voice. She was carrying an extremely small bundle. "Here you go, Tania."

Tania, amused at the size, grinned as she accepted the gift. "Thank you."

"Open it!" Kylee said excitedly.

Tania nodded, then unwrapped the bundle. When she saw what was inside, her eyes widened in surprise.

It was a necklace: a black leather cord with a dark blue stone pendant. The stone was what captured Tania's attention. There was something odd about it that she couldn't place her finger on. As she looked more closely at it, she saw that it had lazy swirls of a lighter blue.

"Wow," she said softly.

"Is that fairy made?" Darrin asked curiously.

Kylee nodded. "It is, which explains the odd glow it has. And, in case you're wondering, Tania, I got it from Bernadette, my mother's best friend. She sold it to me at a very good price, since I'm her best friend's daughter or whatnot," she said with a shrug.

Tania was almost speechless. "Thank y-you," she said quietly.

Kylee chuckled. "You're welcome."

"You didn't have to, you know."

"I know, but I wanted to. Sixteen is an important age. I had to get you _something_ special."

"Anything would have been special."

Kylee laughed. "Damn, then I should have just gotten you dung."

Laughter erupted in the room, erasing any hint of slight awkwardness. Kylee grinned contagiously and gave Tania a hug.

"Happy birthday," she repeated. "You know, I—"

"Kylee, did you hang those clothes like I told you to?" interrupted a sharp voice.

All three turned simultaneously. A beautiful woman in her thirties stood in the doorway. She looked like an older version of Kylee, with her wavy black hair, tanned skin, and slender figure. The only difference was that she had green eyes, instead of hazel, and that she didn't have the friendly nature that Kylee emitted.

"Hello, Mother," Kylee said nervously. "I was just giving Tania her present."

"Really?" The mother turned and gave Tania a smile that did not reach her eyes. Tania stiffened, Kylee shifted awkwardly, while Darrin watched, curiosity evident in his face.

Sandra, for that was the name she went by, turned back to her daughter. "Kylee, I need you to do it now," she said firmly.

Kylee nodded. "Yes, Mother," she said. She turned to Tania and smiled apologetically. "I'll see you later, all right?"

Tania could only nod in reply.

The moment Kylee and her mother were gone, leaving behind a ringing silence in the kitchen, Darrin turned to his charge. He was frowning.

"What is wrong with that woman?" he asked.

Tania shrugged. "She has always been like that, ever since she and Kylee came here five years ago. She doesn't like me."

Darrin snorted. "Well, I can see that. But why?"

She shot him a look. "Well, I'm not sure if I should be telling you this, but…" She paused, then sighed. "All right, I'll tell you. Kylee's direct ancestors used to be part of Ayorthaian nobility. But her great-great-grandmother, Olivia, disgraced the entire family, and because of that, was disowned and stripped down of her title. Hence, the punishment of her offense was brought upon her _and_ her future heirs."

"What could she possibly have done?" Darrin wondered.

Tania shrugged. "I don't know. Neither does Kylee, nor Sandra, nor Sandra's mother. Which makes sense, because would you want to confess it to your daughter and have her look at you in a whole new light?"

He nodded. "That's true."

"I guess Sandra doesn't like me because I remind her of what they _could_ have been. She and Kylee would have been nobles if it hadn't been for Olivia. And the fact that they're being punished for something they didn't do adds more to her anger."

"Then I really admire Kylee," Darrin said, "for she doesn't contain any bitterness in her."

Tania smiled. "Yes, I know. It's not in her nature." She paused thoughtfully, then said in her most threatening voice, "Don't repeat what I just said to anybody, Darrin. I mean it."

He shot her an incredulous look. "Do you really think I would do something like that?"

She shrugged. "I'm just making sure."

"Well, rest assured, my lips are sealed."

"Good."

* * *

Tania was sitting on a long and narrow rock that joined with the edge of a cliff. She was many feet off the ground, with a very deep and wide river down below that eventually led to the open sea. Beside the rock was a mild and peaceful waterfall. 

With her legs dangling off, her eyes gazed absent-mindedly at the faraway sea as she thought about her life's jigsaw puzzles. She tried to fit them together.

She thought back to all the strange incidents that had occurred to her over the past years. The runaway cart…the levitation of objects…the unexplained explosions of china whenever she lost her temper…

She noticed that as the years went by, the occurrence of these unusual incidents became more and more regular. Why? Why were they starting to happen more often as she grew older?

Then she thought about her parents…an uninvited, nagging thought in her mind was telling her that they weren't really her parents. She just seemed so…_different_…compared to them. And if they _were_ her parents, they would have tried to solve her peculiarity years ago. Instead, they acted as if it was completely natural and that they had expected it from the very beginning.

"This is boooorriing," Darrin suddenly complained. Yes, he had followed her, and was sitting next to her. Tania had hoped that he would be afraid of the height, but that was not the case. In fact, he rather enjoyed it.

She turned and glared at him. "I'm thinking, all right?" she hissed.

Darrin's eyes widened. "Unbelievable," he muttered as he shook his head.

Tania raised an eyebrow. "Why is that unbelievable?"

"You need a brain first in order to think."

If the two had not been high off the ground, Tania would have shoved him with her most powerful force. But of course, since she was not a murderer, she settled with clenching her fists.

"Will you please act decent for one damn minute?" she cried out in frustration. "I _really _need time to think!"

Darrin upon seeing the seriousness and frustration in her face, sobered immediately. His smirk vanished, replaced by a questioning look. "Why are you so_…_preoccupied? What's bothering you?"

Tania was surprised at the worry in his voice. She shook her head. "I can't tell you. It's personal."

Darrin nodded in understanding. Tania thought that he would now leave her alone, but truth be told, he didn't want to. He started conversation. One that Tania didn't welcome.

"You know, I have heard a lot about you," he said quietly.

Tania scoffed. "I do _not _want to hear about what those people say about me, all right?"

_You would think that they would stop gossiping about me after so many years, _she thought with bitterness.

Darrin looked like he regretted starting the conversation. "I'm sorry."

Tania nodded curtly.

After realizing that she wasn't going to say anymore, Darrin cleared his throat. "Just so that you know," he said, "I do not think that you are a witch. Those people who say that about you are not worth your time. Forget about them…they do not have lives worth living if all they do is gossip about a good person."

Tania started the moment he said this. Did she just imagine that? Darrin just called her a good person! And even if she had known him for only one day, she could tell that he wasn't the type who occasionally gave compliments.

And for the first time ever, she saw him in a new light.

"Thank you," she said, looking straight at his eyes.

_Strange…I never noticed how blue his eyes are, _she thought. _And he has such a nice smile. He isn't so bad after all._

The peaceful moment was short-lived.

"Of course, when I said 'good,' I meantgood on rare—_very_ rare—occasions."

Naturally, the new light vanished. Tania shot him a look of pure venom.

"Just when I decided that you were all right," she replied coldly, "you placed your own self back to being a heartless scoundrel."

"Did I really?" His eyes twinkled, and a sarcastic response followed. "Yes, my lady, my life revolves around what you think of me."

She huffed and stood up. "I'm leaving."

He stood up as well. "As you wish—_I'll_ lead the way. Can't have you tripping on tree roots again, right?"

"That was an accident!"

He snorted. "If you say so," he said, then started to walk away.

Tania watched him leave before speaking up with a haughty voice. "I didn't say I was going to leave _that _way."

Darrin turned and gave her a look. "Huh…?"

She grinned and saluted him. "Bye," she said cheerfully.

She jumped off the cliff.

The wind whistled in her ear as she plunged down. She spread her arms wide, marvelling at the feeling of freedom.

She dove in the water. She was pleasantly surprised at the river's coolness. It was a hot summer day and the cool water against her skin felt refreshing.

She began to swim towards land. After her fingers brushed against the wet soil, she swam her way up. When she reached the surface, she opened her eyes…and nearly screamed at the top of her lungs.

"You _**creep**_!" she shouted at Darrin, who was standing before her with a huge smirk on his face.

He laughed. "How idiotic do you think I am? I know how to discover shortcuts and move quickly. It was a nice try, my lady, but you cannot run away from me," he said, holding out his hand to her.

"I wasn't trying to," Tania retorted as she accepted his hand. "I always go down that way in the summer."

Darrin shook his head while he grinned at the same time. "What is it with you and running away from people? First it was sliding down that banister and galloping off with that horse of yours, then—"

"I only run away from _you_," Tania cut in. "You scare me sometimes."

Darrin frowned. "What are you talking about?"

She shrugged as she squeezed water out of her hair. "You gaze at me strangely sometimes, and don't think that I don't notice it, because I certainly do—you arenot _that _cunning." She saw Darrin redden, and couldn't help but feel a bit of triumph.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. He paused, then said quietly, "It's just that…you look _a lot_ like this friend of mine. We were really close."

"_Were_ really close?" Then she understood. "Oh…I...I am so sorry."

He shrugged. "It was a long time ago."

Tania, not fully aware of her actions, placed a hand on his shoulder. Darrin was startled, but hid it well.

"Don't try to forget her," she said. "The only way she is truly gone is if her memoryhas vanished from those who loved her."

Darrin smiled. "Thank you."

With that, they started off towards the manor quietly.

* * *

It was now or never. The question had been in Tania's mind all afternoon, and it was time to ask it. If _only_ she had the courage to! 

She took a deep breath, then went for it. "I'm not really your daughter, am I?" she spoke up quietly.

The reaction was incredible. Lady Evelyn's fork clattered loudly on her plate. Sir James stopped chewing.

And the silence was so thick that Tania could imagine herself slicing through it with a knife.

Sir James cleared his throat nervously. "Darrin, please leave us."

Darrin, who was leaning against the wall, nodded. "Yes, my lord." He straightened and stole a look at Tania. She met his eyes, but looked away quickly. Darrin nodded politely and walked out of the dining room.

Tania's eyes followed his every movement. For some reason, she wanted to scream at him, ordering him to stay. Maybe it was because she was not yet ready for her parents' answer.

But she remained as she was: silent and still. When Darrin was out of sight, she cleared her throat nervously and turned to her parents with questioning eyes. She did not fail to notice that they, too, looked nervous.

"Well?" The silence irritated her. She wanted to stand on her chair and scream at the top of her lungs, or do whatever seemed equally outrageous.

But she didn't. She remained on her seat, too tense to move her muscles.

"James…" Lady Evelyn looked at her husband.

"Let's go for a walk," he replied. He stood up, and the mother and daughter followed.

They left the dining room in silence. Their footsteps echoed loudly as they paced down the dark hall.

* * *

"It's a beautiful night," Tania's mother claimed as all three strolled side by side. The crescent moon shone brightly in the dark sky. The flowers greeted them almost seductively with their sweet scent, and the leaves rustled softly against the whistling wind. 

Tania looked around. She and her parents were alone. Turning bravely to face them, she said shakily, "I _know _that I'm not your daughter. My...my heart tells me so. There is something that does not fit."

Lady Evelyn sighed heavily. When she spoke, she sounded weary and sad. "We are not going to deny that, Tania. No…we are not your parents."

Tania felt a pang of hurt. She didn't know why, but the words still stung her, even if she had already expected it. "W-why?" she choked. "Why am I here, if I'm not your daughter?"

Now it was Sir James who sighed. He turned to his wife. "Should we tell her, Evelyn?"

"Tell me _what_?" Tania burst out, angry, tired, and impatient.

Lady Evelyn took a deep breath and said, "Your parents were really good friends of ours, Tania. But, when you were very young, they…" Her voice trailed off as she tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill. A soft sob escaped from her quivering lips, and Sir James placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Tania already knew what happened. "They died, didn't they?"

Lady Evelyn voice was barely a whisper. "They were murdered."

Tania froze. "Murdered...?" she echoed.

She was answered by Lady Evelyn's strangled cry. "I'm so sorry, Tania," she wept.

Tania swallowed and shook her head vigorously. "You're not to blame," came a strangled whisper. "You—"

She was suddenly cut off. Two people who came from nowhere struck Sir James and Lady Evelyn violently to the ground. Tania opened her mouth, about to scream, but one of the attackers pointed the blade of his sword straight at her.

"If you let out a single noise, you will watch your parents die," he threatened. His voice was very deep and menacing. Tania clamped her mouth shut and nodded. She took this short time to observe her attackers. They were covered in a black mask that covered their face and hair. They wore black plants, black boots, and a black shirt as well. They looked like trained assassins.

Tania, trembling with fear, turned to look at her parents. They were both on the ground. Her mother was unconscious. Her father was not, but he was weak and could not rise from the ground.

_Yet, _a voice countered. _He cannot rise yet. But he will. He will save us. _

Tania turned to the two men. "What do you want? Why are you doing this?" she asked with her quietest voice.

The attacker with the sword pointed his weapon at her and growled, "We do not know how powerful of a witch you are, Tania, but you are a threat to us."

"I am not a witch!" Tania replied angrily.

"Shut up!" the other man snarled. He stood near her parents with a long knife in his hand. "Do not deny it."

Tania shook her head vigorously. _I am not a witch! What are these men doing, assuming like that?_

What happened next happened so fast. Sir James jumped on the man with the knife. The two wrestled on the ground, while Lady Evelyn still lay motionlessly on the ground with her eyes shut.

"Wrong move," the man with the sword whispered. He walked over to Lady Evelyn and pointed his blade straight at her. "Surrender, Sir James, or the lady of the manor will die," he threatened.

Sir James stopped fighting instantly. His eyes darted from the masked man to his wife's limp form. Tania could on look on in horror, wondering if the assailant actually had the heart to do it.

"You wouldn't," she whispered.

The man's laugh was harsh and cold, which made Tania shudder. "Yes, I assure you I would." He turned to his fellow companion. "You may do the honours."

His companion chuckled. "Thank you."

Tania stilled. _What does he mean? What are they going to do now? _

Her question was answered when the one with the knife turned to her.

He was ready to kill.

A strangled cry of terror caught painfully in her throat. Not a sound came out…she couldn't scream, nor could she move.

_This can't be the end, _she thought shakily. _It can't be. It's not right. _Her eyes flickered towards her father. Wait a minute…was it just her imagination or did she see a spark of triumph in his eyes? No! _Surely_ it was just her imagination…?

The masked man raised his knife in the air. "Die, witch," he whispered.

He jumped forth and pierced Tania straight through her heart.

Tania gasped painfully and crumpled to the ground. The pains she had felt before were absolutely _nothing_ compared to this one. The sharp blade of the knife had ripped right through her flesh. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't scream, couldn't think. The cut was burning her, spreading the intense pain all over her body.

The world was spinning fast. Too fast. Her vision was blurry. All she could see was that knife…now stained with crimson blood.

Her blood.

She felt herself slipping away. Life was leaving her. She was fading...

Then she gave in. To darkness. To death. And the final words that she heard before she went into the deep sleep of the dead were the worst words a daughter could hear before her final breath: "Kill the parents as well."

* * *

Darrin sighed. When was he going to be called back? How was she? What did she find out? 

There was the loudest and most blood-curdling scream he had ever heard. His reaction was immediate. Feeling cold fear erupt inside him, he jumped on his feet and ran his fastest. He found himself heading towards the manor's garden.

The most horrible sight was waiting for him.

A servant was on her knees, wailing her loudest. Near her were the dead bodies of Lady Evelyn, Sir James, and Lady Tania, each drenched in their own pool of blood.


	5. Secret Unveiled

**Chapter Four: Secret Unveiled  
**(edited version)

Tania's eyes fluttered open. It didn't take her long to figure out that she was lying stomach-down on what felt like the earth. All she could see was utter darkness. It was probably because her entire face was buried on the ground. Her face was itchy: she could feel particles of dirt on her skin. She could also feel her long hair curtain her entire head, completely shielding her face from view.

For some reason, she did not move or speak or make even the slightest noise. She was aware of mutters and sobs in the background, but she ignored them all. She just lay there. She lay there as memories flooded her.

She remembered everything. She remembered the two masked men, her unconscious mother, and the face of her father.

And she remembered being stabbed in the heart by a razor-sharp knife. She remembered how much burning pain she felt. But all that pain was gone.

Completely gone.

One thing that she couldn't remember was what happened after she fell into complete darkness.

_Why am I alive? I should be dead, _she thought. She felt as if she had just woken up from a good and restful sleep.

"I don't believe this," she heard someone mutter. "I can't believe they are dead...Sir James, Lady Evelyn, Lady Tania…"

_Dead? I think not! What madness! _

"I am not dead!" Tania cried out indignantly. With this, she whirled around and glared at the person who had spoken. It turned out to be a middle-aged man dressed in uniform: a guard.

The reaction of the people around her was incredible. Every servant, every outsider, and every guard gasped and turned pale at the same time. Some screamed. Some fainted. Some screamed _and _fainted.

Tania stood up and brushed the dirt off her blood-stained dress. She looked up and realized that she had quite an audience. At first, she was amused at the reactions of the people around her, but the amusement vanished instantly when she remembered something: her parents.

She turned. Her eyes widened with horror at the sight. Her parents lay next to each other on the ground, cold and dead. Their eyes were shut and their elegant clothes were filled with blood.

"No," she whispered. Forgetting about those around her, she ran towards them and fell on her knees next to their bodies. Tears poured down her cheeks as she stared at their ashen faces. Even their lips lost all colour.

She covered her face in her hands and sobbed loudly, not caring for all the people around her. All the others could do was watch her.

"No, no, no," she whimpered, "they can't be dead. They can't be dead. They can't be…"

Her body trembled almost uncontrollably. She felt coldness run through her blood.

They were dead. They were gone.

Then, amidst her tears and sobs, a strange gust of wind formed. It was like the wild breeze of an early spring. It strengthened and grew colder as each second passed. It seemed as if it was angry at something, but it also had a sense of sadness…

It howled and it raged. Tania's wavy hair blew wildly in all directions, but she didn't bother to tame it. She didn't care.

Leaves of different shades of green flew and rustled, men held on to their hats, and women held on to their skirts. They shivered as goose bumps crawled on their arms.

Suddenly, there was a shout from the crowd. "Stop this witchcraft!"

The order was directed to Tania.

Tania felt a rough hand pull her away. She was dragged in front of all the outsiders, all the servants, and all the five guards. Everyone looked at her with mixed emotions. Tania felt like she was reliving that cart incident at the marketplace.

Then a familiar voice shouted. "She isn't a witch!"

It was Kylee. She pushed her way through the massive crowd and ran to Tania.

"Tania!" she cried. Not caring for those who were watching her, she gave her best friend a bone-crushing hug. "I thought you were dead! You stupid, stupid, heartless girl! Don't do that again! I though you were dead!" she sobbed.

"It's all right, Kylee." Tania said it very softly, but Kylee still heard it, despite the howling, bitter wind. "I'm not dead."

"Kylee, get away from her!" Both girls turned and saw that it was Sandra. Her green eyes were blazing with anger. "She's a witch!"

There were loud murmurs from the crowd. Everyone began to talk all at once, but their voices were like echoes in an empty cave. The wind kept on screaming.

Then, all of a sudden, about six or seven people started to chant. "Witch, witch, witch, witch…"

Tania started. "W-what?" she said in disbelief. "I-I am not…" Her voice left her. She could not speak.

Soon, the others began to follow suit, and the chanting became louder and more menacing. "Witch! Witch! Witch! Witch!"

Kylee screamed angrily at them. "She is not a witch!"

But to no avail. Her voice was drowned by the voices from the crowd and by the vicious wind.

"**Witch! Witch! Witch! Witch!**" the people chanted. "_**Witch! Witch! Witch! Witch!**_"

The chant grew louder. "**WITCH! WITCH! WITCH!**"

Suddenly, a thunderous roar burst throughout. "**_THAT'S ENOUGH!_**"

It certainly was enough to scare the bemused mob _and_ the wind. The chanting stopped and the wind died down.

Silence prevailed. Complete, utter silence.

Everyone's heads turned to the direction where that voice came from. Tania felt her heart soar as she stared at the one who yelled that out…

Darrin. It was Darrin. From afar, she could see the fire in his eyes as he glared threateningly at the crowd.

"She isn't a witch!" he shouted at them.

"Are you crazy, lad?" a fuming man said. "She was dead a minute ago!"

"Yes, she was," Darrin agreed, "but, like I said before, she isn't a witch."

"You are mad!" another shouted. "She's a damn witch! Do you think you know better than us?"

"Actually, I do," Darrin said, with a strangely amused voice. "You are all forgetting one thing."

"Then will you grace us with your wisdom and tell us?" someone jeered.

"Thank you, I will," Darrin jeered back. He stared the people from the crowd down and said, "Witches are part of the _human race_. They are humans who practise sorcery, witchcraft, or whatever you want to call it."

"We all know that," a shrill woman said impatiently. "Do you have a _point_?"

Darrin rolled his eyes. "You people are _slow_. Don't you see? If witches are humans, a mortal weapon _can_ kill them. If Tania here is a witch, then she wouldn't have been able to come back from the dead."

A deafening silence followed. It was so deafening that Tania could have sworn that if someone dropped a needle on the soft grass, she would have been able to hear it.

He continued, almost arrogantly. "There is only one race that _cannot _be killed by a _mortal_ weapon. There is only one race of _immortal_ beings."

Tania held her breath as Darrin eyed her with a firm gaze. Her heart pounded heavily at a rough rhythm. There was something about that gaze of his that brought strong shivers down her spine. She wished that he would stop looking at her. It seemed as if he could read her very mind and very soul.

Finally, after the heavy moment between the two, he turned away and stared back at the crowd.

And he said the announcement that would forever linger in everyone's minds: "_She's a fairy._"

Tania gasped. It wasn't just herself who did that, but she didn't notice. She was a fairy? She was a _fairy_?

**_SHE WAS A FAIRY? _**

But it made perfect sense, even if she was unwilling to admit it. All those bizarre incidents that had centered on her…

Fairy blood…

They fit! As much as she hated to confess it, the puzzles fit perfectly. Besides, if she wasn't a fairy, how was she able to _not_ die from the dagger—a weapon made for a mortal death?

It took her a while to become aware of the prevailing silence and the people who gaped at her. When she did, she frowned and shrugged at them.

"I guess I'm a fairy." She could have said "I guess it's going to rain tomorrow" and there wouldn't have been a difference in the tone.

The mortals from all around eyed her from head to toe. The strange thing was that she saw _respect _in them.

She wanted nothing of it. Silently, she left her spot and walked back to her parents, ignoring the fixed orbs that followed her every move.

She stared distractedly at her parents' bodies. But she didn't cry. Her recent discovery had overwhelmed her too much.

"Please," she whispered hoarsely, "take them away."

No one moved. Everyone was still in shock.

She cleared her throat loudly, and everyone jumped. They snapped out of their thoughts when they realized that she was now the mistress of the manor. Three menservants from the mass stepped forward. Two carried Sir James, while one carried Lady Evelyn. They took the lifeless bodies inside the manor.

The silent, piercing eyes were still on her. Tania closed her eyes and heaved the deepest sigh.

"Please leave now," she whispered. "Return to where you were."

After a short pause, the servants, people from outside the manor, and the few guards left the scene reluctantly. They scattered off to many directions, muttering to themselves along the way.

Soon, there were only three people left in the garden.

"Tania?" Kylee approached her friend slowly and cautiously.

Tania turned and gave a quivering smile.

"I…I'm sorry about your parents," Kylee said softly. "They were really important to you. I know that you feel terrible right now."

Tania shrugged.

Kylee continued bravely. "I'm glad you're still here. For a moment there, I thought that my best friend was lost forever."

This time, Tania managed a very small smile. This encouraged Kylee.

"I'll always be here for you. Remember that," she said. "You know that I'm always ready to talk and listen."

Tania nodded. "Thank you." She forced another smile, then hugged her friend, feeling grateful for her support. Afterwards, she turned her head to meet the eyes of the third member.

"Uh…Kylee, can you give us a minute?" she asked.

Kylee nodded. "All right, I'll see you later."

She hugged Tania one last time and walked off.

Darrin watched the beautiful, raven-haired girl pensively as she walk away. "She is very kind," he commented.

Tania stared closely at him first before replying. "She is."

His focussed, azure eyes met her purplish ones. "Walk with me."

Tania, suddenly unable to talk, just nodded and followed him out of the garden.

* * *

The night was unchanged. Despite the incident, the crescent moon still shone as brightly as before. It sickened Tania for some reason. 

They walked on the field behind the manor in complete silence. Darkness enveloped them.

Tania didn't feel like talking. She preferred to be alone. Later on, with the silence unbroken, she was already thinking of excuses to say to him, not caring whether they were lame or not. She just wanted to leave.

Darrin, however, was determined to say something. He cleared his throat nervously, which was odd since he was never nervous. "I am really sorry."

Tania just gave a short nod.

"How do you feel?"

Tania didn't even know how to respond to that. "Peachy," she said afterwards. Her voice was sour and full of sarcasm. She would have continued to be so, but she began to wonder about something. She paused and looked at Darrin. "How long have I been…uh…dead?" It felt odd to say that.

He shot her a quizzical look. "Don't you know anything about fairies?"

Tania did not respond, for realization suddenly came to her. Her mother had been her tutor since she was very little. It had been her mother who guided her through her studies of literature, math, history, languages, and many more.

And never once did she mention anything about fairies. She taught about elves, dragons, centaurs, and ogres, but not once did she talk about those immortal beings.

_She avoided it, _Tania thought.

"Well…?" Darrin said.

She shot him a bemused look. "No," she said dryly.

"Oh." He frowned. "Well, when fairies die from a mortal weapon, they stay dead for five minutes in order to give time for the body to heal. The body uses these five minutes for clearing away the wounds, broken bones, and all that. The spirit, however, is unaffected by the death. After the fairy 'dies', it merely goes to a restful sleep until the fairy reawakens.

"A fairy dies when the spirit leaves the body. Fairies can die from strong magic, like spells and enchantment. They can also die from any emotional pain."

Tania stayed quiet as she tried to sink all these in. It was odd to think that she could not die from falling off a cliff or from a disease.

"What about if they burn to ashes?" she asked.

"Simple. The ashes will reform into their bodies."

Tania stared. "How do you know so much about fairies?"

Darrin gave a wry smile. "This may seem hard to believe, but I am an educated person. I used to work for a nobleman who treated me like a son. He taught me everything he knew. He died only two months ago."

"And after that, you found yourself being hired as a bodyguard."

"That's right."

Tania paused suddenly as he father's face just before her death flashed before her eyes.

"My parents knew about all this," she said quietly. "They knew about me being…well, a fairy." After seeing Darrin's probing look, she sighed and said, "Just before I was stabbed, I saw a small look of triumph on my father's face. He _knew_ that I wasn't going to die."

She took a deep breath. "But what I don't understand is: why were they suddenly afraid of my safety after all these years? _Before_ I turned sixteen, they weren't really _that_ protective. It's as if this wretched age did something to…" Tania trailed off and didn't bother to continue. Talking about her "parents" still hurt her.

All of a sudden, another image flashed before her eyes: Emerlin Forest.

"Adelle Lovrin," she whispered. She heard Darrin hold a sharp breath.

"What?" he said hoarsely.

Tania didn't answer. She gathered up her skirts and ran off at her fastest speed.

It took Darrin only a split second to react. The moment she took off, he followed. He ran after her, and being a faster runner, caught up. He grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop.

"Let me go!" Tania screamed, struggling to free herself. "I have to do something!" She needn't say what she needed to. Darrin had already figured it out.

"You are _not _going to Emerlin Forest," he ordered. "It's too risky."

Tania glared. Then, without even thinking, she held up her free hand parallel to the ground. The action just came to her. She didn't take a single moment to ponder about it.

She felt _something _surge within her. It was a strange feeling. She felt short of breath and slightly nauseous, but those symptoms were severely conquered by this…this…_power _she felt.

Darrin went flying off, as if he was the stone from a slingshot. He landed on the grass about fifteen feet away.

Tania didn't waste time. Another action came. One that she, again, didn't think about.

She bent her knees, jumped…

…and flew off.

Ignoring Darrin's shouts, she welcomed the dark expanse that stretched out before her.


	6. Back to Emerlin Forest

**Chapter Five: Back to Emerlin Forest  
**(edited version)

Tania soared above the city of Déoras. Down below, she could see nothing but flickering orange flames amidst the vast darkness. The city was ready to fall asleep.

She looked ahead and saw that she was finally near Emerlin Forest. The looming shadows of the trees soared up like castle towers, and the leaves rustled loudly against the wild breeze. It looked so much darker and eerier there than where the houses, manors, taverns, and shops stood.

For a brief moment, Tania wondered if she was doing the right thing, for as she neared her destination, she felt an unusual feeling creep up her skin. It wasn't comforting at all.

She landed on the ground gently, at the outskirts of the cold woodland. She peered inside, as if expecting something, maybe a large beast, to pop out of the ancient-looking trees. Her heart beat like loud a war-drum. She felt as if it was sinking to her stomach, making her nauseous.

Then she heard it. It was a soft voice in the wind—the same one she had heard before. The melodic voice spoke in the same, strange tongue that she had mysteriously understood before.

_"You have come. I am glad."_

"I need some answers," Tania replied out loud, using Geldrin's common tongue. Had she been seen and heard at that moment, she would have been branded a lunatic girl who had conversations with her own self. Fortunately, no one was around.

_"Enter my forest, Tania. I promise that no peril shall fall upon you. I have the answers for you, but first, you must learn how to trust." _

Tania hesitated. She debated to herself. _Why should I trust someone who I have never even seen? _She frowned._ But, on the other hand, she knows things about who I am. _

The womanly voice spoke again. _"You wish to know who you are, do you not, Tania? Do you wonder about your heritage, your kin?"_

"I do," Tania said angrily, "but I am not a simpleton. I have no knowledge on who you are or what you are, so why should I believe every word you say?"

There was a brief gust of wind all of a sudden. Tania winced slightly when the uncommon iciness reached her cheeks.

_"I admire your courage and your wariness, Tania. Yes, it is unfair for me to lay such a burden to you. I understand." _There was a pregnant pause. _"Hence, I shall tell you who I am and how I am connected to you."_

Tania felt a bit better. "Thank you."

_"I am—"_

"Tania!" cried someone.

The voice died down instantly. Tania wheeled around, her eyes burning angrily like wild fire.

Darrin, again, had managed to creep up behind her without making any noise, despite the brown stallion he was on. Well, she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings anyway.

There was hardness in his eyes. He was staring at her with cold impassiveness on his face. Even when he dismounted, he did not break eye contact.

Tania glared at him as he approached her silently. "You just scared her away, you idiotic fool!"

"Who?" he asked quietly.

"The woman!" Tania yelled. "The woman who was just talking to me!"

Darrin's blank expression was replaced by an angry frown. "I saw no one."

"**_That's because it was just a voice!_**"

"Well, I heard nothing."

Tania scoffed. "Well, you didn't hear it yesterday either. Darrin, didn't you ever consider the fact that maybe _I'm _the only one who can hear it?"

"That's a sign of insanity."

Tania's eyes flashed. "Stop it. I am _not_ crazy." She looked at him exasperatedly. "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

Darrin's gaze softened, and he released a defeated sigh. "All right," he said wearily. "Let's say that there _is_ such a person. Why won't she show herself? If she's in that forest, why won't she come out to talk to you?"

Tania was startled. "I…I don't know," she said weakly.

"That is exactly my point."

She frowned. She hated to admit it, but he _was_ right. Why wouldn't that woman come to her instead of the other way around? Darrin was starting to make sense, but she wasn't willing to stop arguing with him.

"She has answers, Darrin," she protested angrily.

"Maybe you can get them somewhere else," Darrin suggested.

"Like where?"

"Haven't you considered looking at your manor's library? I'm sure there are books there that can help you."

Tania frowned. "But what if she never talks to me again?"

He sighed. "If she really wants you to have all the answers, and if she does actually have good intentions, then she will talk to you again. But do _not_ enter Emerlin Forest,Tania," he said sternly. He paused and looked at her sharply. "Don't you feel it?" he whispered. "Don't you feel its unsettling coldness?"

Tania started as she remembered the unusual feeing that crept up her skin before. "Y-yes," she replied shakily, "I do."

Darrin's small, relieved smile made her stare numbly at him, but after realizing exactly _what _she was doing, turned away quickly.

"Let's get out of here," she mumbled.

He chuckled. "Good idea." He turned and mounted his horse. "Want a ride?" he said, offering his hand.

She froze. _Ride with him? Be close to him? I _don't _think so._

"That's all right," she replied a little too eagerly. No…she would never sit _that _close to him. "I'll just fly beside you."

He grinned. "Show off."

Tania managed a weak laugh. Then she bent her knees and jumped off the ground. She turned and floated right next to his horse.

"Impressive," Darrin commented, eyeing her pointedly from head to toe.

Tania started when she felt her cheeks flame. She scowled. _WHY am I BLUSHING!_

"Let's go," she said grumpily.

"All right, there's no need to be angry," Darrin said, grinning widely. He then kicked the sides of his beast.

They began to move. Unfortunately, it was at a slow pace, and slow paces always required conversation. Darrin's horse was trotting, while Tania was flying oh-so-slowly.

She groaned inwardly. _This is going to be just lovely._

* * *

"You shouldn't overuse your powers, Tania," Darrin said on the way back to the manor. They were passing through a forest, but it was nothing like Emerlin Forest. This forest didn't even have a name since it was a small, very tame, and insignificant area. The only creatures that dwelled in it were hares, squirrels, chipmunks, and the harmless like.

Tania frowned. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "If you overuse them, you might feel a little dizzy and lose energy. It's common sense, you know. You need to let your powers rest, the same way you need to sleep. You can't just use them every second of the day."

She glowered. "Well, how I am supposed to get home? Run while you ride that stallion?"

He stared at her. "Are you implying something? You think there's no space for you on this horse?"

"I'd rather not."

He frowned. "Why?" Then his frown turned into a grin (a grin that was dangerously close to a smirk) when a thought came to him. "Don't worry, Tania," he said cheekily. "I won't make any moves on you." Then he added, "Even though you want them."

Tania shot him a fierce look. "Are you asking for a painful death?" she growled.

"I'm asking you to rest your powers."

"Look," she said angrily, "can we just drop this? I'm fine. Wait a minute…why don't I just leave you and fly off? You know the way home, don't you?"

"That's very nice of you to say so," he replied. "Fine, leave me alone here in the middle of the night."

She snorted. "I thought you were supposed to be a good bodyguard. You can handle it."

Darrin scowled. "You know, Tania, I…"

He trailed off all of a sudden. He pulled the reins, and the horse stopped abruptly. Tania watched him as he looked around warily, while straining his ears for any suspicious noise.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"Do you hear that?" he asked quietly.

Tania frowned. "Hear what?" Then she heard it. She groaned loudly. "Oh no…not voices again…"

"Well, this time, I can hear them too," Darrin replied. "But they're very faint…"

The two quieted, wondering where those voices were coming from.

Suddenly, Tania's eyes glazed. "Oh, they're _beautiful _voices!" Without thinking whatsoever, she landed on the ground and started to look for the source.

"Tania," Darrin said. "We should go. _Now_."

"But I wanna hear those voices!" Tania wailed like a two-year-old. She pouted and wandered about, searching aimlessly for…whatever it was.

"**_Tania_,**" Darrin said more urgently as he got off his horse, "**_let's go!_**"

Too late. Right after he said that, nine shadowy figures jumped from the trees suddenly and landed in front of them.

Ogres. Disgusting, greasy, foul-smelling ogres.

Darrin reacted fast, unlike Tania, who was already enchanted by the ogres' melodic voices. He dug his hand into his pouch, one that he always had with him, and took out beeswax. (His job was to fight and protect—of course he had beeswax. It was inevitable.) Wasting no time, he placed them in his ears.

Tania, on the other hand, was already approaching one of the ogres. He was using his magic on her with a devious smirk planted on his face. She wore a dazed smile on her face, and her eyes were glassy.

_What pretty people. They're so nice. Must give them a hug… Must give each of them a big hug. What's that you say? You're all my friends? Of course, silly! I know that already! We're all buddies! Buddies, buddies, buddies! I can't wait for our little feast! What are we eating? Meat done to a crisp? Yuuummmy! _

"**_Owww!_**" she screamed as she felt a sharp pain in her back.

She blinked.

She turned.

She saw Darrin, a bit bruised and battered, with a sword in his hand.

"About time!" he yelled loudly as he fought the ogres.

"Thanks for punching me, you jerk!" Tania hollered.

Then she paused._ Wait…ogres? OGRES! _

She panicked. _What are they doing here? I'm going to be their supper! Wait a second…they were using their magic on me! It was them…_

The ogres tried again. "We're your friends, dearie."

_Friends? Of course you are…_

"**_Owww!_**" Tania screamed again as she felt another pain in her back. She blinked and went back to reality.

"Here!" Darrin shouted as he thrust something to her abruptly, while fighting at the same time.

Tania looked at her hand. After registering in her brain that she was holding beeswax, she put them in her ears quickly.

The hypnotizing voices vanished. Now, she was ready to fight.

Two ogres were lying dead on the ground. Seven more to go…and Tania could see that Darrin was already tired as he fought his third and fourth opponent.

The other five advanced towards Tania, their sharp, stained teeth clearly visible, despite the blackness that surrounded everyone.

They formed a circle around her, grinning crazily. The circle became smaller as they advanced slowly.

Tania just stood in the middle, biding her time. Then, when she saw two from the circle jump forth, she jumped off the ground and floated above their heads.

The ogres hissed and cursed. They even tried to claw her, but she was too far up.

Tania closed her eyes to summon her power. She could feel it in her, flowing within every vein. She could even hear it humming softly in her ears.

When she finally opened her eyes, the ogres saw that the violet orbs were _burning_. It was as if there was actually _fire _in them. When she glared, a few found themselves cowering back a bit.

Tania could feel a strong, icy wind surrounding the ogres and her. She had no doubt that she was the one causing it. Knowing that her power was at its peak, she lifted her hand. A split second later, three white sparks shot out of her palm, striking one ogre with a loud and disturbing_ crack_. At that precise moment, Tania felt an odd pinch in her windpipe, causing her to lose her breath.

But she couldn't give up. She lifted both her hands, and three powerful sparks from each palm struck the two repulsive ogres in front of her. She gasped loudly, hardly able to breathe as she felt a sharper squeeze in her windpipe. It was a lot like choking. But there was still _one_ more to go…

Barely able to lift her hand, she gathered her power, and three not-so-powerful sparks shot out. However, they were enough to finish off her fifth ogre, who, like the others, groaned and collapsed on the ground.

Still floating in the air, Tania looked at Darrin. He was still fighting an ogre, one who was taller and more fierce-looking than the others. Without a doubt, he was their leader.

Even from afar, Tania could see that Darrin was ready to collapse from exhaustion. She had to help him.

_The very last ogre. You can do it. Just one more try, _she encouraged herself.

Groaning, she lifted her hand forcibly one last time, and one pathetic spark struck the ogre. However, since Darrin had already weakened him a lot, the spark was able to finish him off.

He moaned and plummeted to the ground.

Tania groaned as her head spun uncontrollably. Her vision dimmed and grew hazy. A sharp pain was beating the side of her head.

With a soft cry, she went into darkness…

…and fell.

But Darrin acted fast. He ran and was able to catch her in time.

He held her in his arms easily as he looked around frantically for his stallion. It was gone. He whistled loudly, praying that it was not far off.

His prayer was answered. The horse answered with a neigh, and a few seconds later, it appeared from the trees and stopped right in front of Darrin.

Darrin lifted the unconscious Tania and positioned her correctly on the unmoving horse. Then he mounted and sat behind, wrapping his arms around her immobile body to prevent her from falling off. Finally, he took the reigns and dug his heels at the horse's sides.

The horse neighed and began to canter, with its two riders safely on its back.

They left behind a scene of nine dead ogres on the ground.

* * *

Tania's eyelids opened slowly. Her vision was slightly blurry at first, but gradually came into focus. She was aware of lying on something soft and wrapped in something wonderfully _silky_. And, she was in a very familiar place…

_My room, _she realized. _On my bed._ _How did I get here?_

"Finally, you're awake," spoke a voice.

Tania turned her head. "Am I…dead?" she asked groggily.

Darrin, who was leaning against the wall, laughed. "Hardly," he said with a smile. "But you would have been, had those ogres been able to capture you last night." He chuckled. "I don't know about you, but dying as someone's supper is not my idea of a good death."

Tania looked at him curiously. "What is your idea of a good death?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Dying in a battle for freedom is one. Or dying to save someone you love. Those kinds. I wouldn't want to die in a desert because I ran out of water. Or die because I accidentally lit myself on fire."

This made Tania shake with laughter. She regretted it after feeling a wave of pain coursed through her. She winced slightly, which Darrin noticed.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

Tania shrugged. "Fine. I'm just tired. Like you said, I shouldn't have overused my powers."

Darrin stared pensively at her. Then he said, "You know, fairies can do big magic, but they don't do it. Remember that, Tania. _You can only use small magic._ If you use big magic, harmful consequences will happen."

"Small magic?" Tania echoed.

"Simple and harmless magic," Darrin replied with a shrug. "If what you did to those ogres was big magic, I'm not really sure what the _negative _consequences are. Personally, I can't think of any."

"Me too," she said. Then she asked him about the big purple bruise on his cheek, and the cut on his lip.

"I'm fine," he said breezily. "Don't worry about it."

She frowned. "Are you sure? You look…more horrible than usual."

He smiled wryly. "I've had worse scrapes before. This is nothing."

Tania scoffed. "Overconfidence in yourself isn't good, you know. You're not invincible, Darrin."

"So? Neither are you."

Tania sighed. "You're so stubborn." Then she sat up slowly, waving Darrin away when he reached out to help her. After managing to situate herself comfortably against the headboard, Georgia came in, carrying a tray of food in her thin hands. She smiled when she saw Tania awake and sitting up.

"Oh, I know it isn't my job to bring you food, Lady, but I wanted to see if you were all right," she said, placing the tray on a nearby table. "When Darrin came in last night with you unconscious, I was really worried. By the way, I burned your dress after I changed you into that comfortable nightgown." She smiled. "It's comfortable, isn't it? It's made out of very fine fabric. Anyway, you didn't want to wear last night's dress again, did you?"

"No," Tania replied, shaking her head.

Georgia grinned. "Good. Did you have a good rest?"

"I did, thank you," Tania replied.

Georgia smiled. "Great!"

A heavy silence followed. Tania raised an eyebrow as she watched Georgia shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Do you want to say something, Georgia?" she asked. "Just say it."

Georgia fidgeted. "Well…uh…you…I mean…what about…uh…" She looked sheepish as she stumbled over her words.

"What, Georgia?" Tania asked.

Georgia swallowed nervously. "Well…what about your…uh…_parents_?"

Tania froze, then paled. Of course…

"I'll take care of it," she said curtly. "You may leave."

Georgia was immediately gone.

Tania sighed, her mind (andheart) aching terribly. Of course there were still her parents to deal with…

_I can't, _she thought miserably. _I can't see them like that._

She sighed and rose from her bed. She walked to her wardrobe and took out the only black dress she owned. She turned to Darrin and gave him a look. "Do you mind?"

He gave her a look, then shrugged. He left the room and closed the door behind him.

When she was alone, Tania quickly changed into her mourning dress. Then she brushed her long, dirty hair and secured it into a tight bun. She felt disgusted at her filthiness from lying on the ground last night, but taking a bath was currently at the bottom of her list.

When she opened her bedroom door, she was surprised and irritated to see Darrin, who was calmly and patiently waiting in the hallway for her.

He noticed her somber attitude at first glance. "How are you holding up?" he asked softly.

"Drop it," Tania replied angrily. "I don't need your concern."

"Fine!" Darrin said with equal anger.

She began to walk away from him, but he followed close behind. Tania, not wanting to exchange more words with him, completely ignored his presence.

They walked briskly in tense silence. Only their footsteps and (maybe even breathing) could be heard.

Finally, Tania spoke up. "You may leave this manor, Darrin," she said quietly.

Darrin started. He took hold of her arm, preventing her from walking any farther. Gazing intently at her, he said with a low tone in his voice, "What did you say?"

"You heard me," she replied seriously, looking straight into his eyes. "Your services are no longer required. You may leave this manor."

"But you can't—"

"_Darrin,_" she said impatiently, "_I'm _the mistress of the manor now. To begin with, I never agreed to let you be my bodyguard."

"I—"

"Besides," she cut in again, "I can protect my own self."

This time, Darrin was able to put in a few words. "Just because you are _immortal_ and can do magic doesn't mean that you are safe from _everything_!" he yelled furiously. "Besides, your parents _knew_ of your fairy blood, and they _still _hired a bodyguard!"

"My parents aren't _here_!" Tania shot back. "_Leave_, Darrin!"

His grip on her arm strengthened. "No."

She glared at him, and pulled away. "Yes. Leave."

Darrin shook his head. "No, Tania…" he said weakly.

Her anger vanished upon hearing his distress. She looked at him sadly, and for a while, it was silent. Then she sighed heavily and whispered, "I have nothing against you, trust me. It's just that…how…" She took a deep breath. "How can I gain independence if I always have _you_ to get me out of situations?" She gave him a confused look. "I thought you'd be happy. Don't you want to leave?"

"I am _not _going to leave you," Darrin said, his temper rising once again. "Your parents hired me because they knew something. Something that can happen later on in the future. You need me, Tania."

She stared at him in surprise. Then a frown appeared on her face. She shook her head vigorously and said quietly, "You're wrong. I don't need you. And I never will. You are going to leave, Darrin." She looked at him dubiously. "Why do you want to stay here anyway?"

His lips thinned. "Because believe it or not, Tania, I…I…"

He trailed off. Then he released a frustrated sigh and looked away, avoiding her questioning gaze. Finally, he said it: "I shall be gone by noon."

He gave her a final look, a piercing look that seemed to read right through her, and went down the stairs without another word.


	7. Deeper Knowledge

**Chapter Six: Deeper Knowledge  
**(edited version)

With Darrin out of her sight, Tania went down the stairs and proceeded to head to the kitchen. She passed servants on the way, and many gave her glowing looks that plainly said: _Oh, there's a fairy! A real, live fairy! I can't believe it! _

She rudely ignored them all and walked in stiff, hurried steps. For some reason, dismissing Darrin left her in a foul mood. She sighed angrily. No, she was not angry at Darrin, but rather at herself. Why? Truthfully, she couldn't place her finger on _why_. Strange, really.

"Good morning," she mumbled as she entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, Mistress," Kylee greeted with a very polite tone as she gave Tania a respectful curtsy.

Tania's stomach jolted, but her fears vanished the moment best friend straightened, with a huge comical grin on her tanned face.

Kylee chuckled. "Personally, I don't see what all the fuss is about," she said amusedly. "You are the same Tania."

Tania's mood lifted. Her lips curved into a tiny smile. "I'm glad someone's head is in the right place. I'm so sick of the way everyone's behaving towards me."

"Yes, it must be _horrible_ the way everyone's treating you like a princess," Kylee said with a serious face.

"I didn't mean it like _that_."

Kylee burst out laughing. "I was jesting, Tania! Lighten up. Why are you so…" She studied her friend's face. "…serious? What's bothering you"

Tania sighed heavily. "Is…uh…Darrin still here?"

Kylee's face darkened. "He just bade me goodbye a couple of minutes ago. Why did you dismiss him, Tania? I found him quite nice to be with. Not that I'm interested in him or anything," she said, shrugging, "but he was very amiable."

"It's complicated," Tania said wearily. "I…I don't need him."

"I'm going to have to disagree. Remember last night? _You were killed. _Someone actually wanted to _murder_ you."

"But I'm still here."

Kylee sighed wearily. "That's not the point. Even though you're fairy, you can still die." She paused, then said curiously, "Any idea on who killed you?"

Tania shook her head. "He was masked. They both were. Even their hair was covered. All I know is that their voices were deep, so they were men. Anyway, there is no more reason to worry, Kylee. They thought that I was a witch, which means I'm safe. They think I'm dead right now."

"But that doesn't mean you're out of danger!" Kylee protested. "What if they see you again? They'll figure out that you're a fairy since there are no other people in this world who are immortal."

Tania sighed. "Kylee," she said gently, "I really appreciate your concern, but I _beg_ you to stop worrying about me."

Kylee sighed, a bit angrily because of her friend's stubbornness. "Fine," she said stiffly.

Tania sighed. "I'm sorry."

Kylee shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"Need any help?"

"Well…since you offered, sure. More hands, less work." Kylee said, cheering up a bit.

"I'll wash while you dry," Tania said. "I like washing better."

Kylee shrugged, then grinned. "Whatever you say, fairy person," she joked.

* * *

"Any enemies?"

"Not that I know of."

"So…no enemies?"

Tania glared. "**_I said, 'Not that I know of,' all right? Stop repeating your questions!_**"

The short, stocky guard winced and stepped back a little. "Eh...sorry. Anyway…uh…don't worry about this, Lady Tania. My men and I will have those two attackers arrested in no time at all. So…what did they look like?"

Tania swallowed a cry of frustration. "For the umpteenth time," she said shakily as she tried to control her anger, "I could _not_ see what they looked like. They were both _masked_."

"Oh. Right. I-I forgot that you already said that," the pathetic guard said sheepishly. "Well…uh…me and my men better leave and work on this case. Don't worry, Lady. We will capture those two in no time. Don't worry."

Tania's face was fixed into a glower as she watched all four guards walk away.

She scowled. _Those two, whoever they are, will never be captured._

* * *

Tania entered her manor's big library. It was one of her favourite places. One reason was because of the hundreds (maybe even thousands) of books it contained. Another reason was because of its tranquility. The glass windows always let large shafts of sunlight pour in, making the room comfortable and inviting.

She was alone.

She was alone, and she couldn't help thinking that it would have been better if Darrin was there.

_Snap out of it, you fool! _Tania yelled to herself._ You dismissed him because you wanted to gain independence. Learn how to be by yourself!_

She closed the door behind her and headed for the very recent encyclopedias. Having spent a lot of time there, she knew very well how the library was categorized.

She fingered through the volumes. _D…E…F! _

She pulled that one out and sat down hurriedly on a sofa near one of the windows. She flipped through the pages, in search of the section entitled "Fairies."

When she landed on it, she read eagerly.

_Fairies _

_Description_

_Fairies are beings with the same physical characteristics as those of humans. The size of their feet, however, is small compared to human-sized feet._

Tania stopped reading and glanced down at her feet.

Small. Tiny. Miniscule. Not human.

How come she never really thought about that before?

Frowning, she continued to read.

_They are immortal, meaning they cannot die from mortal deaths, such as diseases, stabbing, old age, drowning, burning, etc. They can die, however, in means of magic or emotional trauma. _

_They possess very powerful magic within them, but they choose to only use what they would call "small magic." They fear for the consequences that would arise if they use "big magic."_

_They are extremely discreet and wary beings. Most choose to hide their race for many reasons. One reason is to avoid demanding humans…_

Tania stopped at that and skimmed through the rest. Then her eyes came upon the very long history of the fairies.

She took a deep breath and began to read.

* * *

Tania tore her weary eyes away from the volume and shut them. They needed to rest after almost an hour of intense reading. She sighed softly and tiredly, never realizing before how long and complicated fairy history was.

Faelin, the only fairy kingdom in the world that ever existed, was created during the very beginning of the First Aeon (each aeon was 1000 years long). It was also known as the Birth Age, because this was the time period when the creation of living forms began to take place.

Faelin's very first fairy ruler was King Alaric. His wife, who was also a fairy, was Queen Rianna, who bore him three sons named Eric, Julien, and Regan. Eric, being the oldest, became the next ruler. He married Janelle, who bore him one daughter named Fiona.

Fiona, though a female, ruled Faelin after her father's reign. There were many who seemed disturbed at first for having a she-fairy as ruler, but Fiona proved herself worthy by bringing prosperity to the kingdom through her shrewdness and determination.

Fiona married. She and her husband became equal rulers—no one was more powerful than the other.

Suddenly, Tania realized something. _Wait a minute. _She opened her eyes. _If fairies are immortal, then where did all these rulers go? _

She immediately opened the thick book again, and began to search for an answer. When her eyescaught sight ofthe subtitle "Immortality" she paused, then began to read slowly.

_Immortality_

_As mentioned under "Description" fairies are immortal. They cannot die from mortal deaths. _

_There is, however, a way for fairies to leave this world, once they tire of it. High beyond the clouds is a place called Noewyn, a haven for the fairies. It is a refuge of happiness, where war, famine, violence, and many others do not exist. However, it is _not_ the same place where mortals' souls go to after death. Noewyn is for fairies alone. _

_The fairies in Noewyn are not dead. They are simply living in an unreachable place for mortals. Unfortunately, no detailed description can be given of Noewyn, because once a fairy soars up there, she or he may never return._

Tania stopped at that, surprised at the information. Darrin never said anything about Noewyn.

_Probably because he doesn't know about it—ha! I finally know something he doesn't, _she thought childishly. She then mentally slapped herself for being immature _and _for thinking about Darrin. She went back to the book, determined to erase him from her thoughts.

Another subtitle caught her eye.

_The Saeryl_

_The Saeryl was once called Faelin's Heart because it was the one item that helped maintain peace and prosperity to the kingdom. It was a many-faceted crystal that could be enclosed with one hand. It was a royal heirloom, passed down from one fairy ruler to the next._

_It was an item with the strongest and most powerful magic. It had two abilities: the ability to destruct and the ability to heal. One beam from this crystal could either kill or heal any being. However, this could only be done gradually. Only a powerful being could handle the Saeryl. _

_The Saeryl also had a special aura. Its aura was so strong that it bathed the entire land of Faelin. It brought comfort and joy to the fairies, making them reliant on it. It was the one piece that bound the fairies together._

_It was mostly used for removing sicknesses or wounds. It could even cure anyone who was at the brink of his or her death, though it could not restore life to an already dead being. It was mostly used for mortals, such as humans and elves, but the fairy ruler(s) controlled it._

_Unfortunately, the Saeryl was destroyed on the 564th year of the Eighth Aeon. This led to the abandonment of Faelin. Without Faelin's Heart, the fairies' spirits broke. Thus, Faelin, a place that was once filled with peace, was deserted as the fairies scattered off to different places of the world, hiding their identities and finding simple jobs. _

Tania stopped reading and calculated in her head. _Hmmm…564th year…that's about eighteen years ago, _she thought.

She continued to read the book, eager to learn more about her race.

* * *

After what felt like hours later, Tania rested. 

_Wow…so much more to read, _she thought as she flipped through the pages. She just realized now that almost half of the _F _volume was about the fairies.

_After King Bastian and Queen Lillian ascended to Noewyn on the 548th year of the Eighth Aeon, Princess Ophelia came to the throne. She became the sixteenth female ruler of Faelin. She married two years after becoming queen, and she bore a beautiful, golden-haired daughter named—_

Tania turned her eyes to the next page to read about Ophelia's daughter.

Except it ended right there. The entire section on fairies ended right there. The next page had nothing to do with fairies.

_Farvon, Bill_

_Bill Farvon is one of the greatest warriors that have ever existed—_

"I don't care about stupid Bill!" Tania screamed out loud. She looked at the page number on the left side. 181. Then she looked at the page number on the right side. 203.

Twenty-two pages. Twenty-two damn pages were gone.

Tania cursed. Did her parents do this on purpose?

_No, the pages just happened to rip themselves apart,_ her mind thought sarcastically.

She frowned. _Maybe it wasn't them who did this. Maybe it was someone else. _

Fuming, she rose from the sofa and began to search around the library for books, any books, about fairies.

Forty-five exhausting minutes later, she collapsed on a chair.

Not a single book.

She shut her tired eyes. _Noewyn…_she thought distantly. _I can just leave all this and go to Noewyn…_

"Lady?" someone called.

Tania opened her eyes. "What?" she said angrily. She sat up and turned to the door. A young girl in a plain, shabby dress stood under the frame, looking terrified and ready to run away.

Tania softened. "I'm sorry, Karla. What is it?" she asked gently.

The girl hesitated. "There's s-someone here for you," she said meekly.

"All right. Tell them I'll be right there."

The girl nodded and scurried away.

Tania sighed wearily and forced herself to rise. She wondered who this visitor could be.

_Probably just someone who wants to see a real, live fairy, _she thought wryly as she left the library.

She was wrong. At the drawing-room, she found herself looking at a middle-aged man with dark hair and an unkempt beard. He was tall, with a slightly muscular build and strong bone structure.

Tania started. _He looks like Father…_

Except this man did not have the twinkle in his eyes. His grey eyes were cold and wary, which disturbed Tania. His beard was untidier that her father's, and he looked heavier and stronger.

"You don't know me, do you?" the man asked rudely.

Tania shook her head.

"I thought so. My name is Weston…your father's brother and only living relative. No cousins, aunts, uncles, or other siblings whatsoever. Just me. Anyway, did he talk about me often?"

Tania noted that he said "did." She eyed him cautiously. "You heard of his death?"

He let out a harsh laugh. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be here, would I?"

Tania raised an eyebrow. Despicable man. "What are you doing here?" she asked sharply.

"I'm your guardian from now on. After all, you're only sixteen. You cannot run this estate alone." He held up an ancient-looking document. "Here's proof that I am your father's brother."

Tania stared at him. "So…" she said slowly, "you came here just to be my guardian?"

He let out a scornful laugh. "I don't think so, girl." He smirked at her. "You parents died rich. I'm planning to get my hands on their gold."

How blunt of him. Tania's eyes narrowed as she felt her blood level rise dangerously.

"Get out," she snarled.

"Oh, you can't make me, my dear," he replied breezily. "Don't think that I don't know about you being…_abnormal_." He laughed at Tania's surprised face. "Oh, yes. Word spreads quickly here in Déoras. If you're a fairy, then you do not have the blood of your so-called parents, meaning this estate isn't rightfully yours. I know for a fact that they were both human. Why you are here, I do not know." He grinned. "Now, where should I put my luggage? I think I'm going to be here for quite some time. _You_ better get used to it."


	8. After the Funeral

**Chapter Seven: After the Funeral  
**(edited version)

High Chancellor Robert finally finished his disgusting speech. Tania hated his monotonous voice and lifeless words. Sure, they sounded remorseful and sorry, but he never knew Sir James or Lady Evelyn. He was merely doing his job.

The two wooden caskets with the intricate carvings on them started to lower to the ground. Not a sob or a noise came out of Tania's mouth, but hot, silent tears poured down her cheeks.

She was a mess. Her brown hair was dishevelled, as if she did not bother to brush her hair when she woke up. Which was true, actually. Tania could barely remember what happened as she prepared herself for the funeral. She was in a complete daze most of the time.

Suddenly, she felt someone wrap their around her. She turned and realized that it was Kylee, who was also crying silently. Lady Evelyn and Sir James had always been extremely kind to her. They weren't one of those arrogant nobles, even though they were rich.

After giving Kylee a small, thankful smile, Tania glanced at Weston. She refrained from glaring or screaming at him. He didn't look sad at all. In fact, he looked rather bored, with his blank, uninterested eyes and can't-wait-for-this-to-end manner.

She hated him. He was only here for her parents' money, that vile monster.

She turned back to the lowering caskets, and against her will, her thoughts strayed towards Noewyn…

_Happiness…can Noewyn bring me happiness? _

That question had been in her mind for a long time. But she couldn't just leave this world like that, right? Right?

She gazed at the blue sky and lazy white clouds. _But why not?_

* * *

Tania landed on an empty street near the marketplace. It was nighttime, and almost everyone was either in his or her small, cosy homes or getting drunk in some crowded tavern. She could hear the roars of drunken laughter and drunken singing from afar.

There were very few lighted streetlamps on the street, and if someone saw Tania, she would have been nothing but a shadowy figure. Bright stars winked from up above, yet they didn't help the conquering dark. It was oddly creepy in a way, and had she not possessed powers, Tania would have been terrified. But since that was not the case, the dark was nothing but a mere distraction.

She sighed. Once again, she was thinking about that mysterious place. She looked up at the night sky, half-expecting to see the land of the fairies just waiting for her…

"You're not thinking about going up there this early, are you?" said a voice.

Tania started. For some strange reason, she felt fear erupt inside her, which was silly since she was part of an extremely powerful race. She could handle almost anything. Did that sound conceited? Well, to be honest, it was merely stating the truth.

A dark figure emerged from a narrow alley. As the flame of one of the streetlamps glowed itself upon the figure, Tania saw that it was an elderly woman with wrinkly skin and relatively short grey curls. She was short and hunched, with a visible mole next to her nose. She wore nothing but a plain dress, in contrast to Tania's black but fancy summer dress.

"Who are you?" Tania asked cautiously.

"A fairy," the woman replied with a smile. "Just like you."

"How did you know?"

The woman chuckled. "One reason is because I saw you flying."

"And the other reason?"

The woman suddenly became serious. Her elderly face visibly darkened. Tania wondered why, but said nothing. "The other reason is because you are bathed with your magic's scent," the woman said. "I'm surprised you have not gotten rid of it, like most magical beings do."

Tania was caught off guard. She had a scent? Of course her first question had to be: "Does it smell bad?"

"No," the woman replied, "but it is strong…which is dangerous."

"How?" Tania asked, frowning.

The woman sighed heavily. Tania could be wrong, but she thought she sensed a hint of impatience as well. "You have much to learn. Not all magical beings are good, the same way not all humans are good. Like the ogres, child. They use their magic for evil."

"What does that have to do with me?" Tania asked confusedly.

"Magical beings, like ogres, fairies, and the like, can sense magic scent in those who have it," the fairy explained. "And your magic scent is so strong that you are practically asking _them _to come to you."

Tania started as she suddenly realized something. _That's why the ogres came, _she thought. _They sensed me._

"You can take away your scent using your magic," the elderly fairy said. "Every magical being does it. It's the simplest trick."

"H-how?" Tania asked embarrassedly. She felt stupid not knowing how to do this "simple trick." She could shoot out lightning and fly, yet she didn't know how to remove her scent.

"It's easy," the fairy said with a smile. "Just close your eyes and say, in your mind, that you want your scent removed. Once your magic senses that command, it will obey. After all, you control it. It doesn't control you. Remember that."

Tania eyed the fairy cautiously. "How can I trust you?" she asked bluntly. "What if I do that and my powers disappear?"

The fairy laughed at that. It was a merry laugh, and it, for some reason, comforted Tania. "Magic and magic scent are two _different_ things. Magic can do you good, but magic scent will do nothing but expose your identity. I can't _make _you trust me, child. If you don't want to listen, that's fine. After all, you make your own decisions."

Those words were enough for Tania. She nodded. "All right. I…I'll try."

The fairy smiled. "I'm glad."

Tania closed her eyes, concentrating on her power. _Remove my scent. Remove my scent. Remove my scent…_

She felt really stupid at the moment, but who was there to see her except for the old fairy woman? Besides, if what the woman was saying was true, then she better do something about her "problem" if she wanted to stay safe.

_Remove my scent… _

Suddenly, she felt a vicious, biting gust of wind. Startled, Tania opened her eyes. She looked down at herself—and saw that her entire body was glowing intensely. Her bright, golden aura lightened the dark atmosphere like twenty streetlamps.

There was another strong gust of wind, and the aura disappeared, as if it soared away with the wind.

Then everything went back to normal, including the darkness.

Silence. Tania frowned, not feeling any different. "Can you…uh…still sense me?" she asked the fairy. She figured that that aura, the one that flew with the wind, was her scent.

The fairy grinned. "No," she said. "And if you want, try your magic. It should still be there."

Tania smiled. She jumped off the ground and floated in the air. Satisfied, she touched back down. "Thank you," she said to the fairy. "I'm glad I met you. I'm Tania. It's nice to finally meet another fairy. Do you live here?"

"No, I'm just visiting Geldrin. I'm usually in Kyrria. Have you been there?"

Tania shook her head.

"Well, you should go there someday. It's a wonderful place."

"I will visit it someday," Tania promised. "I don't think I can stand the people here any longer. Ever since they found out that I'm a fairy, things have been different."

"You should have kept a low profile, child. Fairies do not like revealing themselves. I used to do it all the time when I used to do big magic." She gave Tania a hard look. "Don't do big magic, child," she said sternly. "Don't. Bad things will happen if you do. Trust me. _I _should know. Stick to small magic."

"What's small magic?"

The fairy laughed. "The smallest you can think of. Whatever you do to yourself—like flying and changing your appearance—is fine, but don't do magic that may _somehow_ connect with _non-magical_ beings."

Tania nodded. "I'll try to remember that."

"Good. Now, I must be off. If you ever need me, just say these words: 'Lucinda, come to my aid.' All right?"

Tania nodded. The woman smiled softly. She was about to leave, but all of a sudden, she halted and looked at Tania sharply.

Tania frowned. "What?" she asked, feeling uncomfortable under the observance of those piercing eyes.

"You know," Lucinda said thoughtfully, "humans don't know that fairies have eye colours that go beyond blue, green, grey, hazel, and brown. Purple, amber, and orange eyes are common among fairies, but those who have such colours conceal them. If you wish to hide what you are, I suggest you change your eye colour. But that is just a suggestion." She kissed Tania's forehead. "Farewell, and take care."

After one final smile, she vanished, leaving Tania behind.

Almost dreamily, the young fairy gazed at the stars. _No…not tonight, _she thought. _Nor tomorrow._

* * *

The next day, when Tania passed by Weston in the hallway, she was startled to see his lips fixed into a devious smile. His eyes gleamed with laughter and he actually looked as if he was going to tap dance at any given minute.

Tania glowered. "What are _you_ so happy about?"

"Oh, nothing," Weston replied breezily. He chuckled. "It's just that, I've officially become your guardian, which means I have complete control over this estate." He let out a booming laugh. "Wanna see?" he said like an immature four-year-old.

"I don't believe you."

He sniggered. Then he took something out from his doublet's pocket and waved it in front of Tania's angered face.

It was a roll of parchment. Tania snatched it and began to read the dreaded words it contained.

It turned out that Weston wasn't lying. She was officially her guardian, based on the signatures at the bottom.

"How can this be?" she whispered in horror.

"I pulled some strings," Weston replied nonchalantly. "I can be pretty sly sometimes."

Her eyes widened. "**_You…SCOUNDREL!_**" she screamed.

His hand made hard contact with her face. A ringing silence followed.

Tania was shocked. Slowly, very slowly, she reached up and touched her cheek.

When she saw the smirk on Weston's face, her eyes blazed. She spoke quietly, but her voice contained a sense of mortal danger. "How dare you—"

"I wouldn't speak any more of your delightful words if I were you," Weston snarled. "I am your guardian now."

Tania glared at him. "You _disgust_ me," she spat.

"Likewise," Weston replied icily. "Now get out of my sight."

"Gladly," she replied through clenched teeth. "I wouldn't want to be standing near a pig like _you_ anyway."

Before Weston could strike her a second time, Tania sidestepped quickly and walked past him. She was tempted to use her powers right then and there, but Lucinda's warning from the night before stopped her.

* * *

"That bloody scumbag!" Kylee cried out as she angrily banged her fist on the kitchen table.

"No need for the colourful language, Kylee," Georgia said sharply. "But you're right…he _is _one."

"I can't believe he did that, Tania!" Kylee said, her voice shaking with fury. "He's a bigger scoundrel than I thought."

"Now, he has complete control over this estate," Tania grumbled.

"I will _never _serve scallywags like him," Kylee replied immediately.

When Georgia spoke, her voice was bitter. "I don't think you have a choice."

"I don't _care_!" Kylee shouted. "He's a _bastard._"

"_Language,_" Georgia reminded again. She glanced nervously at Tania.

Tania noticed it. She rolled her eyes. "Georgia," she said wearily, "fairies don't have sensitive ears. I'm not going to die of shock from Kylee's swearing."

There was a dramatic pause. Then there were bursts of laughter, all coming from Tania.

"Hahaha…" Laughter. "That was funny…" More laughter. "Die of shock…" Howls of laughter. "From Kylee's swearing…" Uncontrollable laughter. "That is _funny_…" Laughter. "_I _can't die from that…" Peals of laughter. "I'm a damn _fairy_."

Georgia and Kylee exchanged glances. They failed to see the humour.

So did Tania, after she sobered.

She blinked. "That wasn't funny."

"Uh…yes…" Kylee agreed.

Tania shrugged. "Anyway, I—"

Suddenly, there was a thunderous roar. All three literally jumped.

"A lion…?"

"No, no, a bear…"

"Bears don't roar…"

"They don't?"

"Nope."

"Both of you, it doesn't matter because it isn't an animal!"

"It was an animal."

Another roar.

"See? I _told _you."

"It's not!"

"Then what is it?"

That question was answered right after. Weston came marching in, his eyes flashing dangerously. His face was beet red, as if he was about to explode into a million pieces. His fists were clenched so tightly that they were now ghastly white.

"**_YOU!_**" he yelled as he pointed at Tania. "**_Your parents weren't as rich as I thought!_**

Tania figured out that he must have just received the numbers. She grinned. "Disappointed, are you?" she said amusedly. "That's just too bad."

Weston shot her a fierce look. "**_I needed the damn money to pay off my bloody debts!_**"

"Debts?" Tania echoed. "What debts?"

"Never mind!" Weston growled. "How am I supposed to pay them back now! I thought your parents' fortune could handle it!"

"I guess you were mistaken," Tania said calmly. "Good luck on handling it."

Weston looked as if he was ready to strangle her. There was a deadly silence in the kitchen. Georgia and Kylee were in the background, their mouths open in horror, Weston was glaring fiercely at Tania, and Tania, meanwhile, was standing calmly, ready to use her powers if the need todo soarose.

Weston was still glaring. Glaring…glaring…glaring…

Suddenly, something spread across his face…

…and he smiled. Pleasantly. Tania did not bother to hide the suspicion in her gaze.

"Yes, of course," he said placidly. His smile turned into an eerie grin. "I will just have to find another way."

Tania wasn't buying his serene manner. "You're up to something," she said distrustfully.

"What? Of course not, my dear." The grin remained fixed on his previously ruddy face. "I must be off now. I'm terribly sorry to disturb all of you."

He _skipped_ away from the kitchen.

There was silence once more. Tania, Kylee, and Georgia were too shocked at Weston's sudden change of behaviour. For once, he was…civil. Did he even know what that meant?

It was Kylee who first snapped out of it. She cleared her throat. "That was…"

"Strange," Tania finished.

"Very."

Tania shuddered. "He's up to something."

"That bit is obvious," Georgia spoke up. "_No one _in this world can change all of sudden like _that_…unless his mind is wheeling towards something."

"Let's hope he'll vanish in the process," Kylee joked.

Tania scoffed. "I _don't _think so. That's wishful thinking." She burst out laughing. "Though it _would_ be funny if it actually happened."


	9. Darrin's Offer

A/N:

Thank you for your reviews!!! Surprised at this early update? =) Well, I was bored so I decided to do this. I have an important note in the end that you should read, so don't forget that, okay? Anyway, this chapter has a bit of violence and swearing. You've been warned. Read on…

Chapter Eight

Despite the man's hard muscles and large, stocky build, he was stealthier than a cat as he made his way in dark. He climbed the manor's wall with such ease that his live burden couldn't help but be impressed at his ability, even though he _was_ her capturer.

He moved his way into the shadows with an unmoving but conscious Tania on his broad shoulder. She had given up struggling minutes ago. It was no use, after all. The man was a strong as a giant. Plenty of times she tried to use her magic, but to no avail.

_Was my magic removed? _She didn't know that there was such substance that could remove one's magic. Weren't powers supposed to be…well, powerful? She frowned. _Whoever put that substance in the water…_

Charlotte. It had to be Charlotte, right?

_Don't be so daft, _her mind retorted. _Someone could have drugged that water _before _the tray went to __Charlotte__. Be open to more suspects._

Weston. Of course. Weston hated her. Weston _loathed _her…but…why would he want to do this? He already had complete control over the money and the estate. She couldn't possibly have anything that could…

_What does he want from me? _

Tania jumped when the burly man, her captor, suddenly spoke up, cutting through the thick silence. "Sorry about this, Lady." He had a round and very deep voice. "I have to obey whatever my boss says, you know?" He hesitated. "Th-this is my first time to kidnap a young lady. It isn't right, I tell you. I-I'm sorry." The apology sounded pathetic. Tania suspected that he was one of those guys who had it right in their heads, but couldn't word things right.

She sympathized for the man. He was weak. Not physically, of course. He was a follower, one who always, always obeyed even though the situation was unjust. It was very obvious by the remorseful tone of his stuttering voice that he didn't want to do this.

Since Tania's mouth was gagged, she couldn't say anything to him. She sighed, feeling her warm, moist breath when she did. She looked around, narrowing her eyes to see through the dark. Once again, she was near the marketplace, the usually busy part of Déoras, except it was now quiet and deserted since it was around ten o'clock, maybe even later. All that could be heard was the usual roars and drunken laughter from the taverns.

They passed the busy part of Déoras without trouble at all, to Tania's disappointment. They met no one and saw no one. She half-expected to be rescued by some traveller who liked to take a stroll during night. Or maybe by guards who patrolled the streets…

She shook her head. She hated it when her mind did wishful thinking. It brought false hope, and that always led to disappointment.

She observed her surroundings once more. They were now quietly walking away from all the taverns, closed stores, and small homes, and were heading off somewhere familiar…

The forest. The unnamed forest where she and Darrin met the ogres.

As they grew closer and closer to their destination, it seemed as if their surroundings became darker and colder. It made sense; the line of streetlamps had stopped a while back, and not a single roofed structure was within sight. They were merely walking past a slightly grassy clearing, following a rough dirt road.

The silence was deafening, while the dark was disturbing.

Finally, when they reached very outskirts of the forest, Tania felt herself being lifted off the man's shoulder. He did it with such ease, which impressed her. Her mother always said she was big-boned, whatever that meant.

He gently placed her in what seemed like an iron cage, big enough for only one person. The gate closed with a loud metal clang, and the sound resonated in her ears.

Tania flared up, her blood level rising. She was _not _going to be treated like some wild, rabid beast. She shot the man a very fierce look, which he unfortunately caught. She saw him wince, but she did not feel one spark of guilt. He deserved it. He was an enemy.

Movement behind the big man abruptly caught her attention. As if on cue, her captor stepped aside, and Tania saw six shadowy figures. Curse the dark! She couldn't make out their facial features.

But suddenly, one stepped up, and he became close enough to be recognized by Tania. She glared instantly upon seeing his evil smile and cold eyes.

Weston. She had been right. Of course Weston was part of this. It was in his nature to be this…this…_despicable_! Her mind spat the word out. Damn him!

He met her glare with a cool, unperturbed gaze. When he spoke up, his voice sounded lazy and even arrogant. "Take off the cloth and untie her," he ordered to his men. "No one will hear her from here and she can't escape this lovely cage."

One of the men obeyed Weston, and when Tania was released from the cloth and ropes, she bolted up from the cage floor and started cursing Weston and his "despicable actions that only lowlife bastards could manage."

"**_You make me f----- sick! You think that you're safe with those bodyguards of yours?! You're a coward! You have put me in this cage because you feel threatened by me! When I get out of here, you and your f----- men will never—_**_" _At this point, she turned to his men to shoot them all a threatening look, but she abruptly stopped when she noticed something…

Weston's men were staring worriedly at her. Some were fidgeting nervously. Others were shooting Weston's back looks of disgust. It would be an understatement to say that she was startled. She was _shocked_, and in truth, she became speechless.

_Does this mean that they don't really agree with what Weston's doing? _she thought. _If I can convince them to go against Weston…_

"Finished?" the person in question sneered, interrupting her thoughts.

"F-for now," Tania stammered without meaning to. __

"Good."

After swallowing two or three times, her steady voice came back. "How creative of you to place me in a cage like some animal," she said coldly.

Weston gave her a look. "This isn't just a normal cage," he said icily. "This cage will absorb your magic whenever you use it. It is necessary for your captivity since you are a fairy."

"What are you talking about?" Tania said angrily. "_My magic is gone, you ass._"

Weston rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised at how remarkably _stupid _you are," he said, ignoring her deadly gaze. "Your magic is still in you."

"Then how come it isn't working?" she demanded.

Weston rolled his eyes again. "The powder in your drink simply _sealed_ your powers. Unfortunately, the powder isn't strong enough to seal your powers for more than ten minutes. Your magic should return soon, but it will be no use to you. If you do magic to try to hurt us or escape, this wonderful cage"—he lovingly stroked the metal bars like some obsessive lunatic—"will simply absorb it."

"What do you want from me, Weston?" Tania yelled.

Weston grinned, showing his crooked, stained teeth. Tania shuddered with disgust. "Getting right to the point, are you?" he jeered. "That's good. After all, we don't have much time." He gazed at Tania with those malicious grey eyes and said, "I owe some men money. A large amount of money."

Tania snorted. "My, my. What a surprise," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Weston glared. "**_You will not interrupt me, wench!_**"

Tania willed herself not to flinch at his angry, booming voice. She was afraid, that she would admit to herself. She felt extremely vulnerable without her powers. She realized now that she had relied on them too much.

But she wasn't about to let anyone see her fear, so instead, she replaced it with hate. She looked at Weston with an icy glare, her purple eyes flooding with revulsion. At the same time, she kept telling herself not to tremble.

Weston continued. "Anyway, when I came here, I thought that your parents' fortune would be enough to cover my debts. But today, I found out that it wasn't enough. I still need more—much more—money. 100,473 gold dasans, to be exact."

Tania immediately reacted to this. "**_100,473 GOLD DASANS?!?!_**" she shrieked, rattling the metal bars. "**_I don't have that kind of money!_**"

"**_I KNOW THAT! I AM NOT A DIMWIT!_**" Weston roared.

Tania glared. "Then what do you want from me?"

"You are slow. Very slow," Weston said angrily. "I want you to steal them for me! From nobles all around! Use your powers to do the job."

He was met by stunned silence. Tania stared at him, her unblinking eyes filled with shock and disgust at the same time. Did she just hear right? Weston was actually asking her to _commit a crime_? Weston was asking her to DAMN STEAL?!?!

"**_YOU'RE CRAZY!_**" Tania screamed, after snapping out of her trance. "**_ABSOLUTELY NOT!_****_ YOU'RE A MADMAN!_**"

Weston flashed her an insane grin. "I knew that you were going to say that," he said placidly. "But it doesn't matter. I am good at persuading people to do what I want."

"Congratulations," Tania replied sarcastically. "That is certainly a noteworthy skill."

"Oh, thank you," Weston replied brightly. "It is." He stared at her thoughtfully before saying, "You know, Tania, your race and mine may have a lot of differences, but we are similar in many ways as well."

"Oh lovely," Tania replied. "Are you here to lecture me now?"

He continued, ignoring her interruption. "For one thing, we have our faults and weaknesses. We are susceptible to greed, pride, gluttony—"

"As much as how _fun _this is, pond scum, I think I'll pass," Tania said dryly. "The answer is no; get it through you thick head."

In a blink of an eye, Weston's pale hand shot out and grasped her throat. He angrily squeezed, crushing her windpipe. Tania choked as air abruptly left her. Wincing, she gripped Weston's wrist, trying to pry him away.

His hand did not move, and Tania's feeble attempt only made him squeeze harder. "Now listen to me, wench," he snarled through gritted teeth. "You will _not _interrupt me again. You will shut that hole in your face and hear what I have to say. Is that clear?"

"Boss!" snapped one of his men. "Let her go!"

Weston pretended not to hear. "Is that clear?" he repeated, his strong gaze remaining fixed on the young fairy.

All Tania could manage was a small nod. When she did, Weston grinned wickedly and not-so-gently released. She collapsed to the cold floor, gasping heavily for air, while delicately rubbing her aching throat. She remained on the floor, coughing a couple of times.

"Now, where was I?" Weston said, stroking his bearded chin in thought. "Oh yes! As I was saying, your race and mine are similar in many ways. But, my dear Tania, do you know the main thing that makes us alike?" He paused and raised an eyebrow, expecting a response.

Tania shook her head. "No," she rasped. It hurt to talk. She bowed her head, feeling as if it was too heavy to lift.

Weston coolly looked down at her before saying, "We both fear pain, physically and emotionally. The thought of feeling it makes us weak, makes us run away. But pain is power, Tania. When you have it, it can either benefit you or make you suffer. It depends on how you make use of it." He bent on his knees so that he was eye level with the suffering girl. Flashing a cruel grin, he whispered, "In my case, I will use it to benefit me. You are not an exception, Tania. I know that you, too, fear pain. What do you say? Do you agree?"

Silence filled the thick air as Weston waited for his anticipated answer. Surely Tania would say yes. He could hurt this girl in many ways, and it would be extremely foolish to say no…

"No," Tania whispered.

Weston, thinking he heard wrong, raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? Please repeat your answer."

Tania raised her chin and stared defiantly at him. This time, her answer was louder, bolder. "No."

Unbeknownst to girl and man, the spectators held their breath, fearing for the girl. It was not the right answer. She was _not_ supposed to say no. Weston was not a merciful man…

"Fine," Weston said softly. "Just fine." With this, he reached for his right boot and nicked something out. For a split second, a glimmer caught Tania's eye, and as her vision focussed upon it, her eyes widened when she realized what it was…

A dagger. A dagger with a razor-sharp point. There was nothing special about it; it was cheap dagger, intended for battle use.

But it terrified Tania. She trembled as she stared at the steel blade. It glinted excitedly, waiting to be plunged into flesh.

Weston smirked. "I would use my sword, but a dagger gives a slower, more painful death."

Tania blanched. "You…you…**_BASTARD_**!" she screamed. Without thinking, she bolted up to her feet and held up her hand. In doing so, a huge and very violent spark escaped from her palm.

Her magic had returned, and she marvelled at the feel of power coursing through her veins.

But Weston was right about the cage. The moment her spark hit iron, the bars absorbed it eagerly. The spark spread all around the cage, crackingsounds erupting here and there.

Furious, Tania held up both palms and alternating sparks erupted from both palms…right, left, right, left, right—

"**_STOP IT!_**" Weston roared over the loud cracks. "**_STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!_**"

Tania stopped, not because Weston told her to, but because she was getting really tired. She let her trembling hands fall to her sides. Soon, the cracking sounds died down and the bright glow around the cage went out.

Silence and darkness returned. Weston's men unconsciously released the breaths they had been holding, while Weston stepped up and slapped Tania right on the face. Tania winced as she felt the sharp sting on her left cheek.

"You think everything can be solved using your powers, don't you?" Weston said coldly. "Just for that, I will not hesitate to make you suffer until you say yes to the assignment." His eyes bore unto her. "You shouldn't have tested my patience. That was a foolish thing to do."

_Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry, _her mind chanted. _Do _not_ let him see you cry._

But Tania was no longer in control. A sob escaped her lips, whether she wanted it or not, and soon, tears began to pour down her ghastly pale cheeks.

Weston burst out laughing. "So the fairy is afraid, after all," he said, the smirk evident in his voice. "I did not think that it was this easy to break you."

"You did not break me," Tania whispered, still crying.

"I'm sure," Weston said wryly. "Yes or no? And don't you _dare _pretend to say yes. If you do, you can say goodbye to the people you love." He smirked. "And just to remind you, _they _are not immortal."

Tania loudly sniffed, to Weston's amusement. Still crying, she managed to reply, but barely. "N-no," she sobbed, in between heavy breaths.

"**_You stubborn minx!_**" Weston yelled angrily. He took a step forward and raised his dagger in the air, ready to plunge it in her chest…

"Don't you dare," came an icy voice.

Weston, startled at the interruption, instantly wheeled around. His men, too, turned around, but instead of looking furious like their boss, they looked petrified. One loud "Boo!" and they would have squealed and scurried away.

Darrin stood there, a sword in his hand. His intense blue eyes were blazing with cold fury, and his lips were fixed in a thin line.

He looked dangerous. He looked ready to kill.

"Leave," Weston hissed, "if you know what's good for you. You are not part of this."

Darrin tightened his grip on his sword. "Step. Away. Now." He turned to Weston's cowering men. "You!" he barked. "Get out of here!"

They were gone before Weston could order them to stay. "Cowards!" he shouted at their retreating backs. "Pathetic cowards!"

"Looks like it's just you and me," Darrin said coldly. Weston did not flinch at the iciness in the young man's voice, but fear flashed in his eyes. For a moment, Tania thought that he was going to run away as well, but before she knew what was happening, Weston had her by the throat, his dagger dangerously close to her flesh.

"Who are you?" Weston demanded as he stared at the blond-haired lad before him. "You have no business being here."

Darrin let out a dry, mirthless chuckle. "You are about to commit a murder. I have every business being here. Release her. Now."

Weston sneered at him. "First, here's a question for you: Why is this girl important to you?"

"You're stalling," Darrin growled. "Release her now!"

"Answer the question."

Darrin took a menacing step forward. "I'm warning you," he snarled. "Don't test me. Don't do something that you'll really regret."

Weston grinned. "Such as this?" As these words escaped his lips, he raised his dagger and plunged it into Tania's abdomen.

Tania gasped loudly as the blade ripped through her flesh. She collapsed to the cage floor, the world around spinning uncontrollably. She looked down at her stomach, and was sickened at the sight.

Dark red blood was oozing out, spreading quickly on her dress.

Her vision blurred and the sounds around her grew faint. She was vaguely aware of the fight going on between Weston and Darrin, but it was the pain that occupied her. It hurt a lot. Her stomach felt as if it was burning and being sawed in the inside. She wanted to throw up, but couldn't.

_Make it stop. Please make it stop, _she pleaded to no one in particular. She felt her strength leaving her, the same way the dark stickiness was draining out of the deep slash on her abdomen. She couldn't move. It was too painful to. Everything was getting darker…

Suddenly, the iron gate opened, but the metal clang sounded so distant, too far away for her hearing. She felt herself being gently lifted up by strong arms and carried out of her prison. Then she felt the soft grass bed, with that someone's arms wrapped securely around her.

Her eyes fluttered open. Darrin's handsome face met her hazy vision. She should have known that it would only take him ten seconds to beat Weston. She almost smiled at the thought.

"My second death," she joked weakly.

Darrin replied with a sad, quiet laugh.

"I'll see you in five minutes…"

She welcomed the darkness.

* * *

Darrin held her in his arms for what seemed like forever. It was a mortal's death… She was going to be just fine, right?

Didn't she realize how dangerous it was to be dead for five minutes? It wouldn't take a genius to find out that a witch could put a spell on her, curse her to stay asleep forever. A fairy could kill her at this vulnerable state.

"Damn it, Tania," he whispered as he cradled her limp form. "You are not invincible."

He held her and waited. Waited for her to open her eyes once more…

* * *

Tania's eyes fluttered open. She smiled softly, feeling extremely good and well-rested, as if she had just woken up from a blissful sleep. But that smile faded as memories of the night came back to her.

"Damn Weston," she muttered under her breath.

"Hello to you too," a voice said.

Tania looked up and saw deep blue eyes. She was suddenly aware that strong arms wrapped around her, making her feel warm and secure. "Oh—uh—hey, Darrin." She smiled sheepishly. "What…uh…happened to Weston?"

Darrin nodded his head towards a certain direction. A man's body lay on the ground, stomach-down. "I knocked him out," he said casually. "He'll be out for quite a long while. Do you want me to kill him?"

Tania was very tempted to say yes. After all, a life for a life, right? It didn't matter that she was alive again. She was dead for five minutes. He _killed _her. He deserved to die…

But it was cowardly and wrong to kill someone in an unconscious state. Tania released a heavy, frustrated sigh and shook her head. "Nah," she said. "I've seen too much blood. Way too much blood." She looked down on her dark, stained dress and sighed heavily. "Another dress to be burned," she said sorrowfully.

Darrin shook his head in disbelief. "You just experienced your second death and you're worried about your dress."

"What?" She flashed him an innocent look. "For your information, this is one of my favourite and most comfortable dresses," she said in defence, pointing at her clothing.

He sighed and said nothing. There was silence in the air as the two lingered in their own thoughts. Darrin stared at Weston, itching to finish the job. He hated that man. But he knew Tania was right. He couldn't kill someone just like _that_.

Tania cleared her throat. "Uh…Darrin?"

He looked down at her, giving her a questioning look. "Yeah?"

"You can—er—let go of me now."

Darrin realized that he still held her in his arms. Instead of flushing and acting all embarrassed, he smirked. He actually smirked! "You know you like it."

Tania groaned and shoved him off. "You wish," she replied drearily. She slowly stood up and dusted off imaginary dirt from the skirts of her dress. She shook her head at the sight of blood.

"What shall we do with the jerk?" Darrin asked, standing up as well.

Tania looked at the knocked out Weston. Then an idea popped in her head. She grinned mischievously. "We'll tie him up, and I'll bring him somewhere far away."

"No way," Darrin said, shaking his head. "You're not going anywhere alone."

Tania couldn't help sighing. _Here we go again. _"Darrin," she said, trying to hide the slight impatience in her voice, "you're not my bodyguard anymore, remember?"

A hurt look flashed on his face. But it was only there for a split second, and Tania almost missed it. "Fine," he said stiffly.

Tania sighed again. After a short pause, she said, "Well…you're not my bodyguard, but—uh—would you like to go with me as company?"

Darrin pretended to consider this. He stroked his smooth chin thoughtfully. Afterwards, he nodded. "All right."

Tania grinned broadly. "Perfect! Now…where should we bring the brute?"

"I'd say let's toss him into the sea."

Tania laughed. "Riiight. Really…where should we bring him?" She absent-mindedly stared at the grass (which had blood as well) as she searched her mind for ideas.

_Where could I take him? Kyrria? Nah…Thor! I could take him to Thor! But then again, what's stopping him from coming back here? He's not going to leave me alone. Maybe we should just kill him. He's a threat. He could hurt Kylee, or Georgia, or…_

She caught Darrin staring intently at her. She turned to him, an irritable look on her face. "What?!"

Darrin shrugged and looked away. "We're going to be here all night," he muttered very quietly.

Tania heard it. "Oh hush up," she snapped. "Leave if you want to. No one's stopping you."

Darrin didn't budge.

"Or at least help me think of something. And don't suggest again that we toss him into the sea."

Darrin sighed impatiently and sat on the grass (the spot that had no blood, of course). Tania stood there for a short while, contemplating, until she sighed as well and sank down on the spot next to him.

"This is pathetic," she said glumly. "I have no idea what to do with the person I hate the most."

"I'd say let's just toss him into the sea."

"Can you please stop it with that?"

"Sorry. The idea is just so amusing."

Tania sighed again and absent-mindedly floated herself in the air, three feet off the ground. She did not realize that she was doing it until Darrin spoke up.

"Show off," he mumbled.

Tania started at the sound of his voice. Then, having realized what he meant by saying "Show off," she glared at him and said, "Leave me alone. It helps me think."

"Fine"—a pause—"Can I ask you something?"

Tania sighed. "Shoot."

"Any idea on who killed you?"

She shook her head. "Nope. They were both masked."

"Male or female?" he asked.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Male. Their voices were too deep." And all of a sudden, her mood changed. "Can we please not talk about that?" she said irritably. "I prefer to not remember that night."

Darrin shrugged. "Fine."

Tania landed back on the ground and huffed crossly.

"What's with your mood swings?"

"Leave me alone."

"Touchy, are you?"

Tania just glared.

"Fine, fine," Darrin said, raising his hands in surrender. "I'll leave you alone."

Everything became eerily quiet after that. Tania sneaked a look at her companion, and saw that he was inattentively gazing at nothing in particular. She sighed.

_It's now or never, Tania. Just do it._

_He's going to remind you of this for the rest of your life._

_But that doesn't give you an excuse to not do it. Get it over with!_

_He's going to gloat about it._

_He probably will, but you still have to do it._

_Fine! _

Tania took a deep breath. "Thank you," she said softly, half-hoping that he wouldn't hear.

Darrin turned to her. "Pardon?"

He said it so innocently that Tania went on an inner battle with herself, debating on whether he was pretending or not. Seconds later, she forced herself to say those words again. "Thank you for saving me." She said it louder this time.

Silence. Tania braced herself for a mocking remark. Or a snicker. Or an arrogant chuckle.

But there was none.

"You're welcome," Darrin replied quietly.

Tania instantly looked up and met his intense eyes. There was no sign of mockery in them, but there was something else. She couldn't place her finger on what it was though, so she chose to shake it out of her thoughts. He was confusing her enough. Forcing a smile, she said, "How did you know I was here anyway?"

"I saw whitish blue light," Darrin replied. "It attracted my attention."

_The sparks, _Tania thought. She wondered why he was up and outside at this time, but decided not to try her luck. She doubted that he would tell her. Darrin had his secrets.

Suddenly, out of the blue, an idea popped into her head, which was weird since it had absolutely nothing to do with what she had been thinking earlier. "I got it!" she announced.

Darrin stood up as well. "What did you get?"

Tania answered with a mysterious smile. Darrin didn't whether to be annoyed or be intrigued. So, he settled in between. He watched her as she took a deep breath and loudly said, "Lucinda, come to my aid."

He looked at her as if she had gone crazy. "What are you—"

He was cut off by a sudden gust of wind and a faint smell of….lilacs? But before he could actually register what was happening, an elderly woman appeared before them, smiling widely and happily. Darrin just gawked.

"What can I do for you, child?" Lucinda asked Tania, giving Darrin nothing but a short glance.

"Lucinda, what kind of big magic have you done?" Tania asked.

Lucinda was startled at this question. After regaining her composure, she spoke. "Well," she said thoughtfully, "I turned people into squirrels, and I also gave 'gifts,' which I later on found out to be more like curses."

"What kind of gifts?"

Lucinda took a deep breath. "Well…I made a couple of people obedient, I gave couples eternal love, and much more. Oh, it was dreadful! You don't know how much I regret doing all those!" she sobbed.

Tania suddenly felt guilty for bringing the whole thing up. Seeing Lucinda break down like this was…disturbing. "I'm so sorry."

"It's all right," Lucinda said softly, wiping a tear.

"I called you to tell you that I have decided to give that human"—Tania pointed at Weston—"the gift of obedience."

Lucinda instantly let out a loud gasp. "Oh, child! Don't! You can't! You possibly can't!"

"Why not?" Tania asked defiantly. She pointed at Weston's unconscious form. "He deserves it. He's a disgusting monster. He killed me, Lucinda, which means he won't hesitate to kill others…even mortals."

Lucinda stammered. "B-but…"

"Are you sure, Tania?" Darrin spoke up. He didn't sound as if he wanted to reject the idea. In fact, he actually sounded eager about it.

Tania nodded. "I'm sure." She turned to Lucinda. "Can he break it?"

"I only know one who was able to do it," Lucinda replied wearily.

"That proves that it is possible."

"But still—"

"I'm going to do it," Tania cut in. "He deserves it, trust me."

Lucinda sighed heavily. "I cannot stop you, child. But I strongly suggest that you don't do it. Farewell." With a nod and a sad gaze at Tania, she vanished.

The moment Lucinda disappeared, Tania crept towards Weston. She stared at his limp body, half expecting him to open his eyes and grab her wrist. But of course, he did none of that.

"Are you sure about this?" Darrin said from behind.

"Don't you think that he deserves it?"

"I do think that he deserves it, but Tania, once you put this curse on him…" He trailed off.

"I think that this is better than tossing him into the sea and just letting him drown," Tania said hotly.

Darrin bit back his smile. "Fine. He's a bastard anyway. Do whatever you want to do. I can't stop you."

Tania grinned and kneeled next to Weston. Then she placed her hand above his sweaty forehead and spoke. "My gift, or rather curse"—she snickered—"to you is obedience. From now on, dear ass, you will always be obedient."

The palm of her hand started to glow brightly. The luminous light bathed Weston's head, but he didn't stir.

After a few seconds, the light faded from Tania's hand.

"Done," she announced as she stood up. "Now, we can go." She turned to Darrin and suddenly remembered that they weren't supposed to head off to the same direction. He was no longer her bodyguard.

It was an awkward moment. Tania admitted to herself that Darrin had been good company. How should the goodbye be? Should it sound distant? Should it be a friendly one?

She shook her head at the way her thoughts were stirring. For goodness's sake, it was only a goodbye! No big deal, right? She met his eyes and gave him a friendly smile. "I guess this is goodbye then," she said cheerfully.

Darrin gave her a look that she didn't really understand. And that unnerved her for some reason. "Goodbye, my lady," he said politely and formally. "I won't leave before you."

Tania couldn't help feeling hurt at his aloof tone, but she hid it well. She nodded, still smiling, though it was constrained. "All right." She jumped off the ground and hovered mid-air. "Thank you again, Darrin," she said. "For everything."

Darrin smirked. "Was this the hundredth time I've saved you?"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't brag about it."

"Goodbye, Tania."

Tania smiled. "Goodbye."

She hoped that it wasn't a long-term one.

But Fate could be so cruel sometimes.

A/N:

Do you think it was right of Tania to curse Weston? Think of it this way: Weston is a sly pig who is willing to harm anyone, if it means getting his way. So, if his poor victim says "Don't harm me," he will have to obey, right? Does that make sense? Anyway, please review!

Important:

I'm going to be revising this story. I'm changing the name Cowen into Damien. I'm also changing Darrin's name because I can't have two male characters that start with D. Do you have any suggestions for Darrin's new name? I hope you don't mind. If you wish to keep Darrin's name, try to convince me with good reasons. One last thing, what do you think of Darrin? Do you like him? Well, that's it for now! =)


	10. Fighting

A/N:

Wow. You had me convinced on not changing Darrin's name after the first three reviews of this chapter. Not only that, but you got me feeling guilty for even _thinking _about changing Darrin's name.

And here's a message for CrimsonEnchantress: I've described the necklace, and I'm sorry to say that it's not a crystal pendant that changes colours. I hope you don't mind that I decided not to do that. It's a really good idea, but a crystal pendant is too fancy for Tania to wear. I'm so sorry! I hope you're not mad at me. I feel bad…

Okay, I have way more important things to say, but I'm going to say them at the end of this chapter, all right? Just read on for now.

Chapter Nine

Tania bounded down the stairs the next morning. She was in a cheerful mood, despite the fact that she was kidnapped and murdered last night. Thankfully, no one knew about that incident (she was able to sneak back into her room), save Weston and his followers, Darrin, and of course, herself. It would have been painful to go through another day of "Oh! Are you all right?" or "Thank goodness you're fine!" or "Be more careful next time!" from Georgia or Kylee. Tania greatly appreciated their concern for her safety of course, but they worried a tad too much.

_It shall be kept a secret, _she thought to herself as she silently crossed the foyer. She nodded at a nearby servant, who was mopping the floor. Suddenly…

_BANG. _

Tania felt her heart skip a beat. She turned and realized that it was the front door that made that noise, and underneath the door frame stood a scary-looking Weston with dishevelled hair and heavy eye bags. He was looking straight at Tania with a murderous glare, and he was breathing heavily, as if he was trying hard to control his anger.

"You should have killed me," he hissed. "Now, you are going to pay."

Tania looked at him coolly. "I thought _my_ way was better."

Weston scoffed. "_Your_ way?" He let out an amused laugh. "All your little friend did was knock me out. Didn't it occur to you that I was going to wake up sooner or later?"

Tania stared at him. What was he talking about?

Then it hit her. _He doesn't know about the curse, _she mused. A smile slowly crept up her face. Then she burst out laughing.

Weston did not expect this. He glared. "What are _you_ so happy about?! Didn't you hear me? _You are going to pay._"

Tania wiped a tear from her eye. "Weston," she said in between soft chuckles, "clap three times."

Weston looked at her as if she had gone crazy. "What—"

He clapped. At this sudden action, his eyes widened. "**_WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!?!_**" he screamed. "**_YOU ARE—_**"

"Shut _up_," Tania said exasperatedly.

Weston instantly obeyed. His eyes widened again when he realized that he now couldn't speak.

"Now," Tania said calmly, "behave nicely and hear me out. I gave you the gift—actually, more like curse—of obedience." At this point, if Weston hadn't been ordered to behave nicely, he would have either spat at Tania or punch her right on the face. But, he couldn't, so he just stood there like a statue.

Tania smiled at this. She continued. "Unfortunately, I can't—or rather won't—undo it since I think you're a pathetic pig who deserves this curse. Good luck on breaking it. Oh, and you must go to bed and sleep. You look horrible."

At this order, Weston found himself heading towards the stairs. Tania laughed openly as she watched him go beet red in the face, as if he was trying to resist the order. When he was out of sight, she grinned and headed for the kitchen.

* * *

"Lady Tania?"

Tania turned to see a pretty servant around her age. She didn't recognize her at all. "Are you new? Did Weston hire you?" she asked, her face forming into a frown. _Exactly how_ _many new servants did Weston hire? He's supposed to be broke, for crying out loud!_

The servant nodded. "Yes. My name is Pauline. I'm Charlotte's cousin. Have you met her?"

"Yes, I have," Tania replied, almost cautiously. Even though she knew that Weston was behind last night's incident, she was still suspicious of Charlotte. Besides, she was the one who brought her meal last night. She could have placed the drug in her water. It was highly possible that the woman was in league with Weston. Too bad she didn't have any proof. She sighed. "Well," she said wearily, "I really hope you enjoy being here, though I highly doubt it. Anyway, why are you here?"

"There's someone here to see you. He's waiting at the front door." Suddenly, a loud fit of giggles escaped her mouth, startling—and scaring—Tania. "Oh, my lady!" she exclaimed breathlessly, her eyes shining. "Where in this world did you meet _him_?"

Tania stared at her. "Huh?"

"Your visitor! He is sooooo handsome! Beautiful golden hair that I just want to run my fingers through, the deepest blue eyes, and those _muscles_—"

"That would be enough," Tania said wryly. _Ew__, ew, ew…this girl is practically drooling over Darrin! _From the copper sink, she heard Kylee try to suppress a snort and fail miserably. Tania bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.__

Of course she knew it was Darrin. The girl's description was pretty—er—detailed. Besides, she didn't know any other handsome blond-haired guys.

After hanging a rag on one of the pegs, Tania headed out the kitchen, forcing herself not to roll her eyes as she passed the servant girl, who now wore a dreamy look on her face and was staring at something with glazed, unblinking eyes.

Tania shook her head as she headed for the front door. _Some girls just can't control themselves, _she thought with disgust._ I would never act like that just because of some guy._

When she opened the front door, she found Darrin leaning against the stone wall with his hands in his pockets. His head turned when he heard the door open.

He smiled at Tania. "Good morning," he greeted.

Tania looked at him warily. "Good morning…" she said slowly. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Just wanted to know if you got home all right."

"Well, since I'm still here in one piece, then yes. Is that it?"

"Nope," he replied. "I also wanted to know how Weston is doing. I saw him earlier this morning, muttering to himself. He didn't look too good."

Tania smirked. "He never does," she replied, "but he's fine. I made him go to sleep. I don't think he will be able to bother anyone now. When he wakes up, I'm going to give him orders that will make him behave right."

Darrin smiled. "That's good to hear."

Tania nodded in agreement. "So," she said, "was that all you came here for?"

He shrugged. "I guess…" He paused. "Actually, no…"

Tania just looked confusedly at him. _What does he want? _she thought. It was odd seeing Darrin like that. He looked so unsure of himself. He was usually so confident.

"What is it, Darrin?" Tania asked.

He cleared his throat. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "you need to know how to defend yourself."

Tania was surprised at this. "What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes. "What do you think? You need to know how to use weapons and fight with an empty hand. In case you've forgotten, you died _two_ times already."

"Oh, yes. My two deaths have definitely slipped my mind," Tania said sarcastically.

Darrin sighed. "Tania—"

"But you're right," Tania cut in. "I do need to know how to fight. Thanks for the suggestio—"

"Yes," Darrin interrupted. He took one step forward, somewhat closing the gap between them. "What you need is _someone who knows how to fight_. Someone who can do pretty much any type of combat." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Tania wondered why Darrin wanted to be that someone. Honestly, he _was_ a good bodyguard, but he wasn't anymore, so why still cling on? It was almost scary. Flattering, but scary.

"I know, I know," Tania said patiently, "and I thank you for suggesting that I take lessons. I will find someone, don't worry. Maybe even someone who worked directly for the king himself." She smiled. "Good day."

"You're cruel, you know that?" Darrin almostwhined.

Tania chuckled. "I was just kidding," she said. She smiled at him and said, "Will you teach me how to fight?"

He grinned roguishly. "Glad to."

* * *

"So," Darrin said, "ever held a sword before?"

Darrin, Tania, and Kylee were at the back of the manor, where there was an open field of uneven grasses. Tania, not wanting be alone in this, had asked Kylee earlier to join. Kylee readily accepted since she found fighting quite an interesting sport. It was also a way to get out of her chores.

"I never really liked sword fighting," Tania replied. "What I prefer more is fighting with no weapons. I think I'm better at that than sword fighting."

"But have you used a sword?"

"I had a few lessons when I was around thirteen," Tania admitted, "but Mother deemed it unladylike after a couple of months, so I was forced to stop, even though I didn't want to. I remember that my instructor was disappointed. He said I had potential." A wry grin crossed her face. "A little liar, I must say. I bet he just wanted to keep his job and the money."

"Or maybe you really did have potential," Kylee interjected. "I saw you fight. You were really good."

Tania snorted. "Yeah, okay," she said. She rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," Darrin said impatiently, "we'll start with the basics—the basic attacks, to be exact. Watch." He nodded at them and held up his double-handed sword. Then he began to sway it around with a rapid speed and continuous pattern. He did tricks with it that looked impossible to the eye.

Tania watched his every move with her jaw dropped. When he finished, he looked at him with a lot of respect. "Wow," she said breathlessly, "_those _were the basic attacks?! You are out of your mind! I can't do that!"

Darrin cleared his throat. "Actually, that was for exhibition," he said.

"Exhibition?" Kylee echoed. "What the hell does that mean?"

He suddenly looked sheepish. "Well…uh…it means that it's only done to impress people. Those moves that you just saw won't help you in battle."

Kylee groaned while Tania glared at him.

"That was pretty pointless," she said. "I asked you to teach me how to defend myself…not how to be impressed with your stupid _exhibition_."

"Okay, okay," Darrin gave in. "You two have no sense of humour."

He received a glare from both girls.

"Just teach us the _important stuff_," Kylee said exasperatedly.

Darrin sighed. "All right," he said. He cleared his throat. "The first basic attack is called the vertical cut. What you do is, you raise your sword and aim straight for the crown of your opponent's head." He did a perfect demonstration of this move. "This is the most common attack."

Kylee and Tania tried the attack with their own swords while Darrin watched them with a wary, observing look.

"All right, I guess," he said with a shrug. "We'll perfect that attack later."

Kylee and Tania exchanged looks.

"The next attack is called the horizontal cut. What you do is, you raise your sword parallel to the ground and aim for your opponent's either left or right shoulder." Again, he did a graceful demonstration of this.

Kylee and Tania copied his move.

"Uh…we'll also perfect that later," he said. "The next attack is called the downward swinging cut. With this attack, you aim for either the left leg or right leg. An angle of 45 degrees has to be used with the sword glancing down, is that clear?" He raised his eyebrow and gave them a stern, questioning look.

Tania mock saluted him. "Yes, sir!"

Kylee sniggered.

"Very funny," Darrin said dryly. "For your information, I was taught this way. My instructor was even stricter than I am with you two."

_Two hours later…_

"I said 45 degrees!" Darrin cried out in exasperation. They had just returned to the attacks after learning the blocks. Fortunately for Darrin, he didn't have much trouble teaching the blocks, compared to the attacks.

"**_That was freakin' 45 degrees!_**" Tania screamed.

"No, it wasn't! That was **_47_**degrees!"

"Oh, for the love of my own life that is begging to be ended because of you! That's _two _degrees difference!"

"That can decide whether you live or die!"

"Stop exaggerating!"

"I am not!"

"Are to!"

"Am not!"

"Are to!"

"Am not!"

"**_STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!_**"

That was from Kylee. Tania and Darrin immediately shut their mouths but did not stop glaring at each other. Tania only reached Darrin's shoulders, but she refused to let that discourage her. No…she was _not _going to lose a verbal battle to some…some…annoying and despicable jerk!

Kylee rubbed her temples. "You two are acting like children," she said. "Please act your age. I'm getting a headache."

"Darrin started it," Tania hissed.

Darrin eyes widened. "Little liar. I should—"

"**_STOP!_**" Kylee screamed.

They stopped. Tania tore her eyes away from Darrin and gave Kylee an apologetic look. Kylee just shrugged.

"I have to go now," she said, "uh…good luck." She turned, about to leave.

"Wait!" Darrin shouted.

Kylee turned and gave him a puzzled look. "Huh?"

Darrin smiled. "How about we spar once? I think you caught on well with what I have taught you over the two hours. I'm impressed, and that's the truth." He shot Tania a discreet, cheeky look, which Tania conveniently missed.

Kylee's eyes lit up. "Really? You think so?"

Darrin nodded.

"Great!" Kylee held up her sword and approached him. "Let's do this."

"You might wanna move out of the way." That was from Darrin, to Tania.

Tania glared at him, but obeyed. She backed away from the pair. Though she knew it was impossible, she wished for Kylee to beat him up to a pulp.

Darrin gave Kylee a questioning look. "Ready?"

Kylee gulped. Then she nodded.

"Go!"

Darrin jumped forward and began to attack Kylee, who nervously blocked his attacks. Tania, with her arms crossed, stared at Darrin, observing his every move. It didn't take a genius to notice that he wasn't putting any effort at all. His movements were slow and gentle, allowing Kylee to keep up.

Then Tania observed her best friend. Kylee was in deep concentration with her eyebrows knitted. Sweat was pouring down her forehead and neck. Even at this state, she still looked really pretty, much to Tania's amusement. Her blocks were uncertain and a bit hesitant, but she was still doing well.

Everything shifted and Kylee was now attacking. This time, she had more confidence in herself, giving attack after attack, which Darrin blocked easily. Finally, after a few more seconds, Darrin did a clever trick with his sword, sending Kylee's sword flying in the air.

He caught it easily with his free hand. Their sparring was over. Darrin, grinning from ear to ear, gave the sword back to Kylee, who suddenly became shy.

"Thanks," she said softly. "Now, I really have to go. Good luck, you two." She was gone before Tania could mouth a protest.

Then there was silence, followed by a clearing of throat by Darrin. He looked at Tania with an arrogant smile.

"So…" he said.

"I have to go," Tania said abruptly. _Stupid pompous, _she thought. She gave him a curt nod and proceeded to walk away.

But Darrin wouldn't have it. Before Tania realized what was happening, she found herself enveloped by two strong arms.

"**_WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DONIG?!?!_**" she hollered. She began to lash about to set her arms free, but to no avail.

Darrin held on tight. "You said you were good at this kind of fighting," he said firmly, "show me."

Tania stopped struggling for a while. She craned her neck to meet his eyes. "Huh?" she asked stupidly.

"Fight with all you've got," Darrin said with startling patience. "Don't worry about hurting me. Pretend that I'm a criminal."

"When I said fighting with no weapons, I meant an _organized_ type of fighting…not street fighting, as I call _this_." (A/N: What Tania meant by organized fighting is karate, judo, and all that.) She felt Darrin shrug.

"Doesn't matter," he said. "It's the same thing."

Tania rolled her eyes. "Uh…you do realize that I can just use my powers, right?"

"I know…but that would be a cowardly thing to do."

He had her trapped now. Tania peered at him through narrowed slits. Then, surprisingly, her face broke into a grin. "Are you sure?" she asked. _This is going to be so fun._

"Positive."

Tania's grin turned into a devilish smile. "Ooookaaay," she sang. "Don't cry when I hurt you."

Darrin smirked. "You mean _if _you hurt me. You can _try_."

The nerve of him! With an angry scowl, she began to thrash about like some wild man. She didn't care if she looked stupid. She wanted to hurt him _bad_.

But Darrin's grip was strong. He held on.

"It's that all you've got?" he jeered in her ear, tickling her with his warm breath.

_Scoundrel!_ Tania let out a war cry, not caring if she sounded incredibly stupid, and bending her right leg, she found Darrin's kneecap in a split second…

And kicked back with all her might.

Darrin grunted and tumbled to the ground. Unfortunately, he brought Tania along with him. She landed on top of him. And, because she had a heart (riiiight), she stopped fighting.

"Are you all right?" she asked worriedly.

Darrin gave her a look. "Tania," he said gently, "I've been part of the _worst_ fights you can ever imagine. That attack was a good one, but I can still hurt you, you know. I told you not to worry about me getting hurt. Your fight isn't over."

Tania glared at him. "You do realize that we look stupid right now?"

"It will help you know how to protect yourself. Now, fight."

Tania rolled her eyes and began to struggle once more. Darrin was holding one of her wrists, so she used her free hand to attack his face with a powerful palm strike. Unfortunately, Darrin was able to block that in time. He was holding both wrists now, and he wasn't letting go. Because of this, Tania went back to lashing about like a wild man, trying to overcome his strong grasps. Sadly for her, that kind of fighting was based on strength, and it was obvious on who was the stronger one. Finally, it struck her.

_I can use my legs!! _She shook her head at how stupid she had been earlier. Calming herself down, she bent her leg and hesitantly kneed him…where it usually hurt for males.

Darrin groaned. "Good one," he said with a pained voice and shut eyes. At the same time, he unconsciously loosened his grip on Tania's wrists. Tania used this to her advantage. She pulled her wrists away from his grasp. Finally, she elbowed him in the stomach with all her strength, and forced herself up.

"Done!" Tania said jubilantly. She placed one foot on his chest for added effect.

Darrin opened his eyes to see her foot on his chest. He stared at it and raised an eyebrow. "Is this necessary?"

"Yup," Tania replied.

Darrin rolled his eyes and brushed her foot off. Then he sat up, and Tania surprised herself and him by offering a hand.

"Thanks," he said, taking it. Tania pulled and he rose from the ground.

Tania observed him as he dusted his clothes. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied with a shrug. "A bit pained, but I've had worse pains before."

"I told you I was going to hurt you."

He smiled. "Yeah…good job on that. At least you're good at one form of combat. No offence, but you're horrible with sword fighting."

"None taken," Tania replied. "I was the one who won the last fight anyway."

He shrugged. "You did, but you do realize that there was one thing I was not doing during the fight?"

Tania frowned. "What?"

"Hitting back. I never punched you or hit you."

"Oh…that's true…" Tania said slowly. "Well," she burst out, glaring, "why didn't you?"

Darrin let out a laugh. "Yeah, like I'd hit you. We're talking about _you _here."

"Should I take that as a compliment or insult?"

"Compliment. I don't think I would be alive right now if I had hit you back. You would have gone insanely mad, which is never good…or safe. Anyway," he said with a good-natured grin, "shall we end today's lesson?"

Tania's blood froze at the word "today's." "You mean there's going to be another day of this?" she whined.

A mischievous grin appeared on Darrin's face. "Of course," he said breezily. "This is only the beginning."

A/N:

I know that this is a boring chap, so I'm sorry about that. Things seem to be dragging on (which I really, really hate), but if I rush to the good parts, things won't make sense, you know? Anyway, here's an important question for you: Do you think Tania is going to end up with Darrin? Because here's the thing: I'm afraid that some of you have forgotten about Cowen. Remember him? Ella's son who I introduced in the prologue?

When I started this story, I planned to have Tania end up with Ella's son in the end. But I get this feeling that some of you are really attached to Darrin. So to those who are, don't expect them to end up together, unless I decided near the end to change things. I don't know yet, all right?

And here's another thing: I want to change Cowen's name. At first, I thought it was a nice name, but then say this out loud to yourself: King Cowen. Doesn't that sound like "King Kong?" Anyway, ever since I found that out, I wanted to change the name. And after a lot of heavy research (I'm just exaggerating) here are the choices:

Jayden or Jaeden (Prince Jayden/King Jayden)

Caiden (Prince Caiden/King Caiden)

Damien (Prince Damien/King Damien)

I'm itching towards Damien, but Darrin and Damien? That's one too many D names. And here's a hint on what's going to happen in my story: both guys are going to be in the same scenes, so it would be confusing, I think. Anyway, I hope you vote or review to help me. The vote will go on until I introduce him. Trust me, you'll love him! Even more than you love Darrin, I hope (really hope). I mean, come on! He's a prince of Kyrria and Ella's son! What's not to love?

Last part of my message is for bushyhair: I did not write _Snow of Ayortha_. Icepixie is the sole owner of that story. And I have not read Tamora Pierce's _Lioness Rampant_. But now you got me really curious. To those of you who have read it, is this story a lot like that? Because I don't want it to be! Now I want to read that book and see for myself…


	11. More Fighting

A/N:

Okay, okay. =D Since pretty much all of you like Darrin (I like Darrin too, but I like the prince as well, even though I haven't written about him yet), I'm going to be neutral about this. (Yay!) I'm not going to take sides, and I'll just wait for this story to progress and stuff, all right? We'll see… And more importantly, thank you for your reviews!

P.S. Please give the prince a chance. He'll be introduced after a few more chapters. (Soon, very soon…)

Chapter Ten

Tania and Kylee were at the marketplace, each with their own baskets. The day had started off to be rather gloomy, and in fact, it hadn't changed. It was about three hours after noon, and so far, the sun was still shy and hiding behind puffy, slightly grey clouds. It was still, however, hot and moist like any summer day, and people were in their lightest form of clothing.

Many were staring at Tania, but she was too sick of the situation to even glance at their direction. Besides, what could she do about it?

"Are there lessons today?" Kylee asked casually as she and Tania expertly weaved their way through a massive, sweaty crowd.

Tania sighed. "Unfortunately," she said. "I like fighting, but don't you think Darrin is a tad too…_annoying? _He ruins the mood, if you know what I mean."

Kylee shrugged. "I don't know…I learned a lot from him yesterday. He's very skilled."

Tania grinned. "You like him, don't you?"

Kylee's reaction surprised her. Not a hint of blushing crept up her friend's cheeks, nor did she fluster. She was rather calm, despite the fact that Tania just _accused_ her. It was surprising.

"I don't like him," Kylee said smoothly. "Yes, I think he is handsome and nice, but I don't _like _him." She walked on calmly, her step not faltering.

Tania shrugged. "If you say so." She didn't doubt her friend's words. Kylee had no reason to lie. Even if she liked Darrin, she wouldn't have kept it a secret. Kylee was the type who was open to her close friends. If she liked Darrin, she would have talked about him and admired him all day long.

"Besides," Kylee went on, "I think _you _like him."

Tania tripped on a small crack on the street, which Kylee had missed without even looking down. "**_WHAT?!_**" she cried as she as she clumsily stood and dusted her dress, "I do _not _like him!" She looked at Kylee and saw that her friend's lips were twitching. She scowled. "Don't make fun. I know I'm not graceful." She paused. "Back to Darrin. I DON'T like that…that…_fleabag_."

Kylee rolled her eyes at her friend's immaturity. "Fine, fine, you don't," she said. "You don't have to act all childish about it."

"I don't like him," Tania said firmly. "I won't deny that I think he's handsome, for that would be plain stupid, but I don't _like _him. And I won't deny that he _can _be nice at times, very rare times, but I don't _like _him."

"I guess we're even." Kylee grinned at her friend. Then her eyes scanned the crowd. When she finally singled out the person she was searching for, she grabbed her friend's hand and pushed through the bustling people. "We're here, Mother," she said later on.

Sandra smiled at her daughter, her beautiful face lighting with warmth. When she turned to Tania, her expression dramatically changed. "Good afternoon, Lady," she said formally, her cold eyes boring into Tania.

Tania shifted from one foot to the other. "Good afternoon," she said hesitantly. _Why is this woman so…cold?_ She wondered if it was because she was a noble while Kylee was…a servant. Come to think of it, it was sort of unfair.

"Here," Kylee said, giving her basket and Tania's to her Mother. "Will you give these to Georgia?"

Sandra nodded. "I will. Where are you two headed?"

"Lake Narlow," Kylee replied.

Tania tensed. Lake Narlow…the memory still haunted her. Yes, she realized now that she would have woken up five minutes later if she had drowned, but the whole experience still frightened her. The feel of the icy water, the grey looming clouds, and the laughing wind were…it was just not easy to forget everything.

Sandra smiled at her daughter. "I'll see you later." With a nod at Tania, she left the two girls and disappeared in the crowd.

"Well," Kylee said as she looked at Tania, "let's go then."

Tania nervously cleared her throat. She didn't want to go back there. "Why do you want to go to Lake Narlow?" she asked Kylee.

Kylee gave her a look. "What do you mean? We always go there."

"Well…I—I am tired of that place now," Tania said sheepishly. _Way to go, Tania, _she thought dryly. _Good job at sounding conceited._

Kylee frowned. "All right…" she said slowly, "I guess we can go somewhere else."

Tania suddenly came up with an idea. "I know!" she said excitedly. "Let's go to the Stadium!"

Kylee grinned amusedly. "You have _got _to be kidding. No respectable lady goes to the Stadium, you dolt."

Tania snorted. "You forget that we're not exactly _respectable _ladies. Besides, wouldn't be fascinating to see all those duels? And the weapons that they sell there! We _have _to go." She tugged at her friend's short sleeve.

Kylee let out a sigh. "Tania," she said gently, "do you remember when you were fourteen and you promised your mother to control your unladylike urges after running around in manly clothes, insisting that they were too comfortable to take off?"

Tania frowned. _Did she have to bring that up? _"Yes, but this is _different_. I'm not going to do anything of that sort. We're just going to watch future warriors spar viciously with each other."

Kylee frowned. It was rather tempting. And it sounded really fun. Maybe just this once… "All right," she said, "let's go to the Stadium."

Tania grinned happily. "Great!" She tugged her friend's arm and led the way.

Kylee bit back her laughs as Tania excitedly pushed her way through the crowd. Going to the Stadium was wrong, she knew that, but who could resist an opportunity to watch big duels with real, dangerous weapons in use?

"Why are you suddenly excited about weapons and fighting?" she said in amusement.

"I've always been excited about weapons and fighting," Tania replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "But I've always kept it secret after Mother disapproved of it…" A sad silence suddenly took in, but Tania pushed that away. She forced a smile. "Besides, I'd rather die than be a damsel in distress."

Kylee grinned. "That's true. Well, if you're planning to join the army, let me know, and I'll join you," she joked.

"Sure," Tania replied laughingly.

A few minutes later, the girls reached the infamous arena. It was one of Geldrin's ten large stadiums where future warriors of the King's army were trained. The range of students was 14 to 20 years. And strictly males, which irritated—if not angered—Tania. The name also disappointed her as well. What kind of name was the "Stadium"? It sorely lacked creativity and the ability to intimidate.

The two eagerly entered through the metal gate. There was a short man with greying dark hair who saw them, but didn't stop them. He merely raised his eyebrows in surprise. After all, there was no rule that girls couldn't enter.

Once the two girls passed the gate and found themselves in a closed passageway, a disgusting scent of sweat lingered in the air.

"This is—er—disgusting," Kylee said, wrinkling her nose.

Tania shrugged. "Well, what did you expect? The smell of roses?"

Kylee chuckled. "I guess you're right."

The two walked on. A few seconds later, they heard the sounds of metal crashing against another. They heard angry shouts and cheers at the same time. They heard roaring laughter as well. Tania couldn't help but feel jealous as they walked through the passageway. It sounded as if training was really fun.

Finally, the two reached the massive clearing and the sight fascinated them. Sweaty lads and young men were all over the place, resting, duelling, or practising on their own. Some were doing archery, some were fighting with swords, some were fist fighting, and some were fighting with long knives. There were also some who were merely watching or giving out helpful tips to a fellow comrade.

It didn't take long for the trainees and trainers to notice the presence of two young ladies. Many stopped what they were doing. Curious eyes bore onto the two. It was unnatural to see sixteen-year-old girls in that place. Usually it was just the loving mothers of the trainees, bringing homemade meal and maternal support (which was considered embarrassing).

Tania and Kylee did not expect this kind of attention. Needless to say, they felt their cheeks burn with embarrassment. Kylee was sure that she was going to die on the spot. Tania felt the same.

A few seconds later, which seemed like centuries for Tania and Kylee, a middle-aged man with flaming red hair and an uncertain smile approached them.

"Are you two lost?" he asked.

Tania's blood froze. "Uh…no," she replied. "We came to…uh…watch."

The man would have fainted, except he was a trainer, and that wouldn't have been good for his reputation. "I-I see," he stammered.

"There is no rule about girls not being allowed here," Tania pointed out bravely.

The man nodded. "I know," he said. "Well…uh…welcome, I guess." He smiled hesitantly. He turned, about to walk away, but realization suddenly came to him. He turned and stared at Tania. "I know you…" he said slowly.

_Here we go again, _Tania thought dully.

"You're that fairy."

Tania flinched. "Unfortunately," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze. Her eyes travelled all around the Stadium. _Interesting place…a bit sheltered from what's going on outside though. Hmmm…where do they train when it rains?_

When she finally dared to meet his brown eyes, she was startled to see that he wore a grin on his face.

"Don't worry," he said lightly. "I assure you that nobody will care about that here. In this arena, we treat everyone in the same, respectful way. Sure, you may get stared at, but your gender and age are to be the cause of that." After a short nod and a cheerful smile, he left the two girls to themselves.

* * *

"So," a seventeen-year-old whispered, "what did they want, Master John?"

Master John, the man with the flaming red hair, gave his student a look. "They said that they wanted to _watch_."

There were murmurs from the archery section. Boys exchanged grins.

"Watch?" someone echoed.

Master John nodded. "Yes. Get back to—er—work."

The students grinned at each other once more and obeyed.

* * *

Tania nudged Kylee with her ribs. "Do you think it's a mistake coming here?" she whispered.

Kylee shrugged. "I don't know."

Tania crossed her arms. "Well," she said strongly, "I'm not leaving. Come on. Let's watch the archers."

Kylee shrugged and followed her friend towards the archery section. As they walked on, she found it impressive the way Tania was able to give the staring lads an I-dare-you-to-challenge-me look.

The archery section had five targets, and Tania was impressed to see that the archers were standing _very_ far away from them. At least in her standards. She smiled encouragingly at the lads with bows over their shoulders and said, "Carry on. Pretend we're not here." To Kylee, she whispered, "Maybe we could learn by just watching them. That would be great."

A few seconds later, the girls found out that the archers were having a contest before they arrived. Therefore, only one target was used and the trainees were taking turns shooting arrows.

_Whoosh. _The arrow landed in the center ring, but not dead center. It was, however, still a good shot. The young archer who did this looked sheepish afterwards as Tania and Kylee applauded along with the other watchers.

The next archer stepped up, and he looked older than the last one. Tania believed him to be about Darrin's age. He was rather handsome, and he brought with him this certain charm. His eyes were emerald green and his chestnut brown hair was messy, as if he just woke up and didn't bother to brush his hair. Somehow, however, _that_ added more to his good looks.

Before taking his shot, he gave the watchers a nice, honest grin. He met Tania's eyes for a brief moment, who stared back calmly. He gave her a short nod and turned to the target. Then he placed the arrow in the bow, lifted it confidently, and pulled the bowstring.

There was a watchful silence as the young man eyed his target carefully. Tania unconsciously held her breath. For some reason, she wanted him to do well, even though she did not know him.

Finally, a few short seconds later, he released the arrow. There was a _whoosh _sound and then the sound of the arrow hitting the target. Tania narrowed her eyes, straining to see where the arrow had landed. After her eyes had adjusted to the long distance, she saw that the arrow had landed at the very center of the target. Impressive. She maintained her aloofness, but inwardly cheered for the skilful archer.

"Thanks," he said casually to the cheering crowd, as if this whole thing of hitting the very center of the target was a regular routine. He stepped away from his spot to give way for the next archer.

The next archer looked to be about fourteen, but based on the confident way he carried himself, Tania knew that he was going to make an amazing warrior. Her theory was confirmed when the boy's arrow _almost _landed at the very center. It was a hair away from the previous archer's arrow. The cheers were deafening, and the young lad received a couple of pats on the back.

Tania couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. She was suddenly tempted to ask one of these trainees (or if she was lucky, trainers) to teach her something—anything—that involved weapons. It looked so…_fun_.

As if her prayer was heard, someone from beside her—whom she didn't notice—spoke up. "Want to know how?" that voice said.

Tania turned and was startled to see that it was the same person whose arrow had hit dead center of the target. He was looking at her with a charming grin on his face.

"I don't think anyone would approve, even though I am tempted," Tania said distantly. Her eyes weren't on him, but on the next archer.

"You surprise me," he said.

This time, Tania looked at him. "Pardon?"

"Most—if not all—young ladies wouldn't even think about touching a weapon. They deem it unladylike."

"It's rubbish," Tania retorted. "How are you supposed to protect yourself from criminals if you don't know how to fight? I think that's why there are too many damsels in distress these days. It's sad."

He laughed. "That's true," he said. "My offer stands. I wouldn't mind teaching you."

Tania sighed. _Don't give in. Control yourself. Be a lady. _"I would love to," she said, "but what would the others think of me? What would my _friend_ think of me? I had to persuade her earlier to come here. I think she would faint if she saw me do anything…uh…unladylike."

To Tania's surprise, he burst out laughing at that. She just stood there frowning, confused at his reaction, while he let out loud chuckles. "What's so funny?" she demanded afterwards.

"Forgive me," he replied grinningly, "but…err…see for yourself." He waved his hand towards his left.

Tania turned. Her jaw dropped. There was Kylee, wielding a sword and gleefully swaying it around like an eager kid. Beside her was a lad around their age, possibly older, looking uncomfortable and amused at the same time. Tania could see that those around the pair were suppressing amused snorts. Kylee must have borrowed the sword from him.

_So much for just coming to watch and controlling unladylike urges. _Tania met her friend's eyes for a brief moment. Kylee flashed a guilty look. Tania smiled and shook her head, giving the message that she didn't mind.

"So…up for it?" the young man beside her asked.

Tania grinned at him. "Yes."

He smiled. "Good. My name is Ethan."

Tania liked his laid-back attitude. "Tania," she said.

"Nice to meet you. Now, let's go." He led the way towards the very spot he had stood on to take his shot. Tania eagerly followed.

"Now," he said a short moment later, "stand right here." He lightly tapped the ground with his foot.

Tania obeyed and stood there.

"Here," he said, handing her a bow, "you may use my bow."

She nodded and nervously took it from his grasp. It was a beautifully crafted wooden bow. It was smooth to the touch and had a graceful curve. The bowstring was securely tied on the opposite ends of the bow, looking tough and unbreakable.

Ethan seemed to have sensed her edginess, for he gave her short pat on the arm. "Don't worry. We all have to start somewhere," he said reassuringly.

Tania gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks. I—uh—think I'm ready now."

He nodded and began to teach her the basic stuff, such as how her stance should be, how to hold the bow correctly, and how high it should be from the ground.

After a relatively long time of lecturing, Ethan smiled at her and said, "I think you are ready for your first shot. Here's an arrow." He handed her an arrow with a sharp point and smooth feathers at the other end.

Tania slowly took it. "Uh…" She eyed it uncertainly. Then she looked up, and her eyes quickly travelled everywhere, observing the people around her, who were pretending not to notice her little lesson. But she knew better.

She sighed inwardly. She didn't want to take a shot. _I'm going to humiliate myself in front of all these people._ She turned to Ethan. "Perhaps another day?" she asked weakly.

Ethan gave her a small smile and shook his head. "Nope, but don't worry. Everyone makes mistakes. Just remember what I taught you."

_No way getting out of this one._Tania sighed. "All right," she said in defeat. She placed the arrow in her bow, raised it, and pulled the string.

"Good. Keep that firm grip on your bow. Raise it a little higher and fire only when you feel ready to."

_That would be never. _Tania was tempted to retort that, but she bit her tongue. She merely gave a short nod and concentrated on the target.

_Just keep an eye on it. You can do this. Concentrate. Remember to aim slightly higher than where your goal is. All right, here goes nothing…_

Tania released her arrow.

Flop.

The arrow did some weird thing and landed right on her feet.

Tania felt her cheeks flame up. She just wanted to die right there. Or maybe dig a massive hole and hide in it for eternity. She stared at the arrow on the ground as if it was some mortal enemy. Was it just her, or did the air around her suddenly become burning hot?

_It's just me, _Tania thought. She could feel her blood boiling with embarrassment. _They're all suppressing their laughter. They're trying hard not to snort. I can sense their stupid amusement._

After what seemed like eons, Ethan bent down and picked up the arrow. "Nice try," he said with an easy, understanding smile. "I did that as well on my first try."

Tania snorted. "Little liar."

"I did!" he replied. "Seriously."

"Sure, sure," Tania said wearily while avoiding the surrounding people's gazes. "I knew I wasn't going to get it!" she said, frustrated.

"You will," Ethan assured. "You just have to be patient."

"Unfortunately," Tania replied, "that's something I have trouble with."

He laughed lightly. "Well, here, we are taught to be patient. Would you like another shot at it?"

"Er…maybe some other time," Tania said, returning the bow back to its owner.

Ethan shrugged and took it. "Come back some other time."

Tania started. Then, for some reason, she felt proud. She was actually invited to return! Sure, she did make a sad attempt with a bow and arrow, but she could improve on that, right? Right?!

"I'll try," she replied.

Ethan grinned. "Hey," he said suddenly, "how are you with sword fighting?"

Tania almost burst out laughing, having remembered what Darrin had said to her yesterday. She managed to hold back that laughter after putting in effort. She grinned at Ethan, who just looked at her amusedly.

"Don't even go there," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"

"My—uh—_teacher_ thinks that I am horrible at it."

"Well," Ethan said with a smile, "your teacher and I don't think the same way. Why don't we see? Follow me." He walked away from the archery section. Tania shrugged to herself and followed him.

They stopped in front of a very large rack that was full of weapons of all sorts…knives, daggers, swords, axes, bows, and many more. After scanning through the swords, Ethan took a fine-looking, double-handed handed one, swayed it around a couple of times, and then nodded to himself with satisfaction.

"Here," he said, giving the sword to Tania, "I think this is the best one for you."

Tania took it and swayed it around a couple of times while feeling very conscious at the same time. She was perfectly aware that a lot—if not all—the people around her were trying to watch her without making it seem obvious. She was, however, an alert person, which was why the audience's supposedly discreet glances were not so discreet.

"Let's head over to a ring," Ethan said. He led the way to one of the stadium's empty fighting rings. Tania followed close behind.

Tania stepped into the ring, feeling as if it was a battlefield that held ultimate death. Of course, she was exaggerating—her mind sometimes did things like that—but being in that closed ring wasn't comforting. Obviously her opponent was an expert in the sport, and her pride was most likely going to be stomped a couple—a lot—of times. Unless, of course, Ethan went really easy on her and fought at a turtle-slow pace.

"I'm really horrible at this," Tania said again, hoping that she could back out. She wasn't the type to do such a thing, but this case was a special exception. She was already humiliated once; she didn't want that to happen again.

"Don't worry," Ethan assured, "I'm not going to attack you as if my life depended on it. I'll go by your limits."

"Yes, but I don't think that will help," she answered. "Seriously. I always find a way to embarrass myself." She quickly glanced at the people (men and boys) around her, whose lips were curved into a small smile. When they saw her glance at them, however, they hastily looked away, pretending that they weren't interested in what was happening in her direction.

Tania sighed, a long release. _This is going to be just lovely. One last attempt to get myself out of this…_

"You should ask Kylee instead," she said to Ethan. "She's a way better fighter than me."

"Your friend is busy at the moment," Ethan replied.

Tania turned. Sure enough, Kylee was chatting merrily with the person she had borrowed her sword from, unaware of what was going on around her. Tania groaned inwardly. _Just when I need her the most…_

"Are you ready?" Ethan asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Uh…"

"GO!"

Ethan instantly lunged forward, and out of impulse, Tania shrieked as he began to attack her. However, after recovering from her little shock, she began to concentrate deeply on blocking his attacks. She shocked herself (and many others) at this. She was actually _blocking_ her opponent's attacks! She found out that it was a lot like dancing. You had to follow a certain rhythm and not lose your footing.

Tania knitted her eyebrows. _One, two, three…one, two, thr—why the hell am I counting?!?! _

"It helps sometimes," Ethan said, grinning widely.

Tania reddened. The familiar hotness came rushing in her blood once more. She didn't realize that she was saying all that out loud. She was aware of a few sniggers in the background. _I must be giving them a nice entertainment, _she thought dryly.

In a split second, everything switched and Tania found herself attacking. She chanted the different targets in her head. This time, she made sure not to blurt them out loud like some idiot. _Head—shoulder—leg—shoulder—stomach—head… _The chanting went on. Why she was doing it in the first place, she wasn't sure.

Then, in the middle of the duel, there came a break. Tania and Ethan stood a couple of feet away from each other, still holding their sword in front of them and standing alertly in a fighting stance. They were staring at each other. Tania was sweating and panting, while Ethan, to her annoyance, did not break a sweat (he probably did, only she didn't see).

Then came the greatest interruption. Tania, being absorbed in her little duel with Ethan, was not aware of someone's presence close behind her, right outside the ring. She only became aware when that person spoke, and when he did, her whole body went rigid and she felt her heart plummet down to her stomach and bounce back up.

His voice was too familiar. "I must say I'm hurt," he said with a hint of smirk in his voice.

Tania slowly turned around. Then, taking a deep breath, she forced a smile. "Uh…hey, Darrin," she greeted.

A/N:

I love the name Ethan. And Darrin's cool. I'm going to have him and Tania interact more with each other, so don't worry. And I don't mean bickering and fighting… =D


	12. Meeting the Sword Maker

A/N:

I've been so sluggish recently. Have you ever gone through a phase where you feel as if you're really tired of writing stories? It's a stupid phase. I'm trying to overcome it… Aaaanyway, thank you for your reviews!

C. Noelle: Someone who doesn't like Darrin that much!!! Wow!! Hehehe I'm a sucker for guys with dark hair too. I think you're going to like the prince of Kyrria. He has black hair, you know.

blue-hello-kitty: I meant Darrin. She going to interact more with him, and I don't mean bickering and arguing and all that angry stuff. =D

tayk: I finally know what you mean about Char and the "young man" thing. You're right about that. Silly me. Thanks for reviewing!

Crazayladay: Yup! There's something about the name "Ethan" that makes it so…cool. And why no cookie? =)

dragonfirechick: I would hang out in the Stadium too. =) And you've done archery before? That is so cool! I've always wanted to try archery (after watching LOTR, hehe). Is it hard to master?

awaiting impatient person: Don't worry. I'm putting in a scene that doesn't have Darrin and Tania fighting. They're always fighting, so I said to myself, "Hey, why not have them be decent with each other for once?"

CrimsonEnchantress: Yup. I'm going to put in a scene with Ethan and Tania together! (I'm sure C. Noelle would love that hehehe). And does Tania like Darrin? Hmmm…a hard question. Very hard. We'll see. ;)

Chapter Eleven

Darrin looked at her, a familiar, devilish smirk formed on his lips. "I'm hurt Tania," he said, pretending to sound wounded. "You think I'm not good enough to teach you?"

Tania gave him a look. "I—"

"Wait a minute," Ethan cut in. He turned to Darrin. "_You're _Tania's instructor?"

Darrin shrugged. "In the flesh."

Tania looked at the two suspiciously. "Do you two…err…know each other?"

Darrin and Ethan exchanged looks. Then they suddenly burst out laughing. Tania gave them a death glare, which was completely ignored. She sighed in frustration and looked around her. The people were now openly watching the little scene, now that Darrin had arrived. She could see that they were all trying hard not to laugh.

She turned back to the laughing, idiotic two. "_Ahem_."

They stopped a few seconds later. Darrin and Ethan both looked at Tania with amused faces. She, on the other hand, just continued to glower at them.

"May I ask what's so funny?" she asked coolly. "Do you know each other?"

Ethan grinned at her. "Tania, Tania, Tania," he said, draping his arm over Tania's shoulders, "Darrin works here. He's one of the trainers, like me."

Darrin's eyes swept over Ethan's arm. He narrowed his eyes. "That's right," he said through gritted teeth.

Tania gave him a look. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing!" he snapped.

"Fine!" she snapped back. "I'm sorry for asking!" She glared at him, then turned to Ethan. "Aren't trainers supposed to be twenty years old or older?"

"We're exceptions," Ethan replied, shooting Darrin a smirk, "because we have fully completed our training."

"We're not really _trainers_," Darrin said coldly, glaring at Ethan. "We're assistant trainers."

Tania shot him a puzzled look. What was he so angry about? "I see…" she said slowly. She then turned to Ethan and smiled. "What did you think of our duel?"

Ethan grinned roguishly. "You have potential."

Darrin snorted. Loudly. "She does not."

"She does, Darrin," Ethan said firmly.

"No, she doesn't." He glared. "Hey…which one of us has spent more time with her?"

"I have spent enough time with her to know that she does have potential. Admit it."

"She does not!"

"Liar!"

"All right!" Darrin burst out, startling Tania. "Yes, she does have _a little bit_ of potential, but it's not enough to impress me and many others. There are a lot who have way more potential than her…like Kylee."

"Don't get me involved!" Kylee shouted before resuming her conversation with some guy.

"Well," Ethan said, eyeing Darrin levelly, "she either doesn't have it or she does. And I _know _that she does. It may not be much, but I think she will make a great fighter, if she works veryhard and is self-determined."

Darrin burst out laughing. "Too bad she doesn't have any of those qualities."

Tania gasped. "You _ass_!" she yelled, glaring at him. "I'm standing right here, you unfeeling scumbag!"

There were gasps from the male onlookers, followed by Kylee shouting "Oh grow up!" at them.

It was after the gasps that Ethan, Darrin, and Tania realized that they were making a scene. They snapped out of their little world and turned, meeting about thirty pairs of eyes. They winced slightly and apologized. The audience, however, seemed rather happily entertained with the whole thing, for they just shot the three amused grins.

"You are inconsiderate of other people's feelings," Tania hissed quietly at her blond-haired companion. She was shooting him a fierce look, which he was accepting quite coolly.

Darrin shrugged. "I was merely being honest."

Ethan sighed wearily. "Lay off, Darrin," he said softly. "I know you like her, but insulting her is really not the way to capture her attention."

Both Tania and Darrin start at this. "**_WHAT?!_**" they cried out at the same time.

Ethan gave them an innocent look. "Oh…did I say something?"

"I don't like this…this…_girl_," Darrin said hotly.

"I do have a name," Tania said irritably. She turned to Ethan. "And please don't ever say that again. It will give me nightmares."

"Me too," Darrin mumbled.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Im(cough)ma(cough)ture."

"What's that?" Darrin asked dangerously.

"Nothing."

"Good. Don't you dare suggest anything like that again, Ethan."

"Don't tell him what to do," Tania scolded.

"Oh so you _do _want him to think that I like you!"

"I never said that, you arrogant jerk!"

"Well, you were _hinting _it!"

"What?! I was not!"

"Don't deny it!"

Tania's eyes widened. "You…you…" She really was going to burst any minute now. She balled her fists while her face turned into a pretty (not) shade of red. "You are a—"

"_That's enough_," spoke a voice. It was barely a whisper, but it had this sense of authority and danger mixed all together that Tania immediately clamped her mouth shut. Trembling slightly, she slowly turned.

She found herself looking at a very tall, grim-looking man in his forties. He had swarthy skin, very dark hair…and his eyes! They were the deepest blue, and the expression in them was enough to make people cower. They were full of power and menace, and if he was ever to look at you, it would seem as if he was looking through your very soul. You would feel exposed, bare—as if you can't hide your deepest secrets.

_He must be the head of all this, _Tania thought. She gulped nervously. "S-sorry," she whispered. She heard Darrin apologize quietly as well.

The man's stare was nerve-racking. When he spoke, his voice was neither cold nor warm, but it still frightened Tania. "While most people in this arena are amused with your little squabble," he said, "I am displeased at the fact that you both had the nerve to act in such a childish behaviour. You are no longer children!"

Tania hung her head. He did have a point.

"I suggest you leave the ring, my lady," the man said to her. "As you already know, females are not allowed to be trained here. You are welcome to come and watch, but you may _not _hold a single weapon."

This time, Tania dared to look at him. "Please," she said, "I _really _want to learn. I think I can do this. Just give me a chance to prove myself." She gave him a hopeful look, and for a split second there, she saw him soften.

But that was only for a split second.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You cannot. Good day." He nodded and walked away, leaving behind a distressed Tania. "Back to training, everyone!" he shouted, his voice slightly echoing.

Everyone snapped out of it and began to bustle around, pretending that nothing happened.

* * *

_I go to this arena for one day and I'm already known as…wait…what _do _these people think of me?_

Tania looked around her. Once every few seconds, different people would give her looks that she did not really understand. There were others who smiled warmly at her, and thankfully, she understood _that_.

"I can't believe all we can do is _watch_," Kylee grumbled as she leaned against the wall next to Tania. "I was having so much fun out there. What about you?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.

Tania glared at her. "Please don't."

Kylee laughed. "Sorry. But it was funny the way you were arguing with Darrin and not knowing that practically everyone was watching you."

Tania sighed angrily. "Don't remind me." Because of Darrin (who was currently fist fighting with someone younger than him and was no doubt winning almost effortlessly), she was in a rather foul mood. But he was only one of the two reasons. The headmaster's scolding earlier was the other reason. _'You may not hold a single weapon.'_

She turned and saw Ethan. He was sword fighting with someone his age, and was winning as well. She smiled wryly. Ethan _definitely_ was going easy on her when they duelled. He was practically yawning right now.

Tania sighed again. It wasn't fair. _I bet Kylee and I would make good fighters if they let us train, _she thought glumly. She turned her head and her eyes fell upon the serious headmaster, who was talking to one of the trainers. A few seconds later, the power of her gaze caught his attention. Their eyes met for a very brief moment. It was Tania who looked away. __

Kylee sighed. "I think I better be going now, Tania. Are you coming?"

Tania did not reply. She was absent-mindedly staring at a fairly large section of the arena that was enclosed with walls and a roof. Kylee frowned and waved her hand in front of her friend's face.

Tania blinked. "Huh?"

"I have to go home," Kylee said. "Are you coming with me?"

Tania's eyes travelled to that spot again. "You go ahead," she said. "I think there's an armoury over there. They could be selling weapons. A souvenir would be lovely, don't you think?" She laughed wryly.

Kylee shrugged. "All right. I'll see you later." She smiled and left.

After Kylee's departure, Tania took off towards the armoury. She walked slowly, nodding at the lads, who in return, gave her stares. She sighed inwardly. She had been in the Stadium for more than half an hour now, and they still weren't used to her presence.

She entered the dim armoury and found it empty. Sure, there were weapons of all sorts everywhere she looked, but no one was there.

"Hello?" she called. She heard a soft noise from the back room and turned. She expected to be greeted by a burly man with a dark beard (her ideal image of a weapon maker), so was pleasantly surprised to see a very beautiful woman instead. She looked to be about thirty years old, maybe even younger, with silky, golden hair and brown eyes. She wore a simple dress made out of white cotton (which currently looked soiled), and sweat was pouring down her forehead.

The woman's jaw dropped when she saw Tania. She stared at her with wide, unblinking eyes. Tania shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. Finally, she couldn't stand the tense silence and decided to speak. "Um…hi?"

The woman snapped out of her trance. "Oh!" she cried out. "I am so sorry. It's just that… I-I didn't expect to see someone like _you_ here. But then again, I am not entirely familiar with this place. I'm fairly new."

Tania smiled. Might as well make conversation. "How do you like Déoras so far?"

"A charming place. The people are so nice."

Tania shrugged. "Sometimes, I guess."

The woman gave her a weird look. Then she shrugged to herself and said, "So what brings you here?"

"I just came to look around. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. I find it quite nice to finally share my work with a person of the same gender."

"So you made all of these?" Tania asked, amazed.

The woman grinned. "My husband and I made all of them," she said, looking at the weapons around them. Then she turned back to Tania. "By the way, my name is Caelan."

"Tania."

"I know."

"Pardon?" Tania knitted her brow. _News spreads faster than I thought. This woman is new here and she already knows who I am._

Caelan smiled. "Do you want to know a secret?"

A/N:

Part II of this chapter coming soon! =)


	13. The Sword Maker's Secret

A/N:

Here's Part II! Two more chapters (I think) and I'm probably going to set this aside and take a break. I don't know yet…

Chapter Eleven, Part II

Caelan smiled. "Do you want to know a secret?"

Tania didn't know how to react to this. "Uh…sure?"

Caelan, still smiling, gathered up her skirts and pulled it up slightly. Tania, confused, looked down. She gasped.

Tiny feet? Tania's eyes widened. She looked up at the woman's smiling eyes. Caelan was a fairy?

Caelan laughed. "You should see your face right now," she said amusedly. "It's pretty funny." She dropped her skirts. "My husband is one too. Why do you think we make such incredible weapons?"

"Does anyone know?"

"No." Caelan's cheerful face was instantly replaced by a stern one. "And don't tell anyone."

"I won't," Tania answered immediately. It was the truth. Her own incidents with mortals weren't so amusing, so why would she want other fairies to experience them? "But why tell me?"

"Because I thought it would comfort you to be in the presence of someone who has very similar blood as yours," Caelan said with a shrug. "By the way, what do you think of your powers?"

"My powers?" Tania echoed. "I-I don't know…they're all right, I guess. I have only used them a couple of times."

Caelan nodded. "That's good. If you ask me, our powers bring nothing but trouble. That's why I don't have any," she said proudly.

Tania started. _You can get rid of your powers?! _

And for some reason, she began to consider that. _I never wanted to be a fairy in the first place. If I remove my powers, that will make me less fairy and more human! Stupid people like Weston will get off my back when they find out that I can't help them with their stupid problems. _

Tania shook her head. She then turned to Caelan and gave her a look. "You don't have powers?" she asked. "Is that possible?"

"Of course it is," Caelan replied breezily. "You control your magic. All you have to do is concentrate veryhard and order it to leave your body. However, if you want your powers to be somewhere _safe_, you have to transfer them directly to another magical being. To someone you can trust. I gave my powers to my husband years ago, and because of that, he is twice as powerful as a normal fairy."

"Is that safe?"

"It's all about trust," Caelan said firmly. "I trust Vance. He would never abuse it."

"What about immortality?"

Caelan shook her head. "No. We fairies can never remove our immortality, the same way we cannot do anything about our small feet." She eyed Tania questioningly. "Why do you ask? Immortality is a gift, not a curse. You should treasure it."

Tania shrugged. "The idea of living forever just seems so…dull. That's all." She sighed. "Anyway, how do you give your powers to someone else?"

Caelan frowned. "Why? Are you planning to give yours away? Because I really don't recommend it."

Tania frowned. "You yourself have done it," she challenged.

"That's different. I gave mine to someone I trust with my life. You, on the other hand, don't have anyone to give your powers to."

Tania remained silent, for she knew that Caelan was right. Still, she couldn't help but think how it would be wonderful to have that burden be lifted from her. That was what Tania thought of powers as. Nothing but a burden. Flying, shooting sparks, and the like were fun, she admitted that to herself, but she thought past that. Sum all of that up and she got nothing but a heavy load on her shoulders.

"Well," Tania said, breaking the silence that she had started, "if I remove my magic and not transfer it to someone, what will become of it?"

Caelan sighed. "Tania," she said gently, "please do not remove your magic. It's all right for me…but not for you."

"I'm not meaning to be rude," Tania said, frowning slightly, "but we just met. You don't know how aggravating being an exposed fairy is. They want to _use _mefor their own little games. Weston, my 'uncle', actually _killed_ me because I refused to use my powers for evil. Hey, I may have lived, but the pain was—is—horrifying." She paused. "But don't worry. I'm not going to remove my powers anytime soon. At least I don't think so. Please tell me where it goes after I remove them. I don't want to feel guilty if I cause any possible danger."

Caelan sighed heavily. "All right, I'll tell you," she said in defeat. She took a deep breath. "Magic lingers invisibly in the air after it is removed by its owner. Anything or anyone that can sense fairy magic out in the open, which is a _rare_ skill, and has the strength to carry it within them—like a phoenix, a unicorn, a dragon, or _maybe_ an ogre—can steal it. So yes, it can be dangerous, but there are _very_ few who can sense exposed fairy magic since it is so powerful and advanced."

"I see…," Tania said slowly. So releasing fairy magic into the air could be very dangerous, since it could fall into the wrong hands. Damn. She sighed. "Anyway," she said wearily, "may I take a look at your weapons?"

Caelan grinned amusedly. "Look at weapons?" she said, her voice filled with mirth. She chuckled. "It seems as if you have warrior blood. Who are your parents?"

Tania's face darkened. "I never knew them," she said curtly. She turned away and stared in deep concentration at a crossbow.

"I'm very sorry," Caelan said softly. After a moment of discomforting silence, she gestured towards all the weapons in display with a wave of her hand and said, "Please take a look. I will happily sell you one. Your age is sixteen or above, right?"

A ghost of a smile crept up Tania's face. "Yes, I—"

"Oh, wait!" Caelan suddenly interrupted. "On second thought, come with me. I want to show you something." She smiled mysteriously and began to head to the back room.

Tania, rooted on her spot, frowned. "Huh?" she called to the older woman.

"Just come," Caelan said impatiently. "This will interest you."

Tania shrugged and followed Caelan to the back room. The back room was pretty large. It was slightly dark and had the mixed smell of raw metal and coal. The air was really stuffy and warm. Unfinished weapons lay on a battered, wooden table. A big furnace was at the corner, and Tania noticed the slowly dying embers within it.

The sound of Caelan's voice snapped Tania out of her observant state. "Take a look at this," the woman said.

Tania turned to see what Caelan was talking about. She saw that the woman was holding something proudly in her hands. "Is that a weapon?" she questioned.

Caelan smiled. "Yup. And not just any weapon. This is from fairy culture. Back when Faylinn existed, this is what the guards used as their primary weapon." There was a hint of sadness in her voice as she mentioned the long-lost fairy kingdom, and a part of her smile vanished.

"You were in Faylinn?"

Caelan nodded.

"But you don't really remember what it was like, right?"

Her fairy companion gave her a weird look. "Why would you say that?"

"Because Faylinn fell"—Caelan winced at this—"about eighteen years ago. It was because of the destruction of the Saeryl."

Caelan shot her an amused look. "You know your history," she commented, "but what makes you think I don't remember any of that? I remember perfectly well what Faylinn was like before its ruin." A sad smile crept up her face. "I was a countess," she added quietly.

"You would have been eight or nine years old," Tania pointed out.

Surprisingly, Caelan gave her an amused look and burst out laughing. It was light laughter, as if she was amused about something. Tania, startled at the reaction, just stood there, a confused look on her face.

Caelan grinned. "You think I'm only about twenty-nine years old."

"And…you're not?"

"No," Caelan replied. "I'm almost thirty-seven." She laughed again at Tania's surprised face. "You knowledge on fairies is limited, Tania. Did you not know that once a fairy hits the age of thirty, his or her aging process slows down _a lot_?"

"That's…interesting…," Tania said slowly. Then a thought struck her. "But since we are immortal, do we just continue aging as the years pass?"

Caelan shook her head. "No. Fairies stop aging when they hit 500. By then, they would have wrinkles and white hair." She paused. "There is also another way to stop aging. Once fairies soar up to Noewyn, they completely stop aging, even though they have not reached 500 yet." She gave Tania a questioning look. "You have heard of Noewyn?"

Tania nodded. "I have, and—"

"It's not your time," Caelan immediately cut in. "You should not consider going there soon."

Tania gave her a look. "Why?"

"Why?!" Caelan cried in disbelief. "You are still young! Usually, a fairy soars up there when he or she is around 200 years old. You still have a good life to live, Tania. You are nowhere near the end of your road." She paused, wishing for her words to sink in the mind of the young fairy before her. Then, a few seconds later, she continued. "Anyway, here," she said, handing the weapon to Tania, "take a look at it. It's an amazing weapon."

Tania took the weapon from Caelan's hands. It consisted of a large, steel blade fixed on the end of a pole, which edge was on the outside curve.

"It's light," Tania commented.

"Yes… surprising, isn't it?"

Tania nodded in agreement. "This feels better in my hands than a sword. I like this weapon better. I wish I know how to use it," she added wistfully.

"Not many know how to use the glefe," Caelan remarked. "Sure, many fairies know how to use it, but it is rare for _humans_ to know how to wield one. The glefe was created for fairy hands."

"So this is called a glefe?"

"That's right." A dazed expression crossed Caelan's face, as if a sudden memory had just come to her. She chuckled softly. "When there was still a Faylinn, I used to live near the palace. Everyday, I would see soldiers, each with a glefe in their possession. They would jokingly spar with each other during their spare time, and I would always watch them." She sighed sadly. "Those were the days."

"Here," Tania said, giving back the glefe. She felt slightly awkward at Caelan's loneliness. She had never been to Faylinn. She had never experienced the joys that once existed there, so she did not feel _that_ much sorrow for it.

Caelan, still a bit dazed, took it back. She stared pensively at it for a brief moment before putting it back on the rack, where she had gotten it from. She sighed heavily.

"Err…," Tania said uncomfortably, "since I don't know how to use that, I don't see a reason for purchasing it. I think I should stick to swords."

Caelan smiled. "All right. Let's go back outside."

The two quietly left the back room. When they reached the other room where the finished weapons were, Tania began to look at the swords on display. She wanted a good sword, one that she could be familiar and work with.

It did not take her long to find the right one. The moment her eyes landed on it, she knew that it was the perfect sword. Excited, she picked it from the rack and carefully swayed it around.

It was surprisingly very light, but—hey—a fairy made it. The blade was unique. The two edges weren't straight, like what normal blades usually had. They were very wavy, and they seemed to _snake _gracefully like one. They met at the tip, one that was very sharp and pointed. The hilt had a very nice grip, a sphere-like pommel at the end, and the typical cross-guards to prevent cuts on the hand.

"I like this," Tania said simply.

Caelan beamed. "Thanks. I designed that. The blade cuts way more deeply than a typical one with a straight edge."

Tania smiled. "This is perfect. I'll take it. I don't have any money right now, but I'll come back later. Will you keep this safe for me?" Weston did not know this, but Tania had her own big stash of money. It was sort of an emergency fund. It was hidden somewhere very safe in the manor. Her parents told her where it was when she was thirteen, but she had never visited the place.

Caelan nodded. "Sure. Now, there's something I want to give you."

Tania frowned. "What is it?"

The woman reached for her neck and pulled something out that hid beneath her dress. Tania looked and realized that it was a necklace. It was a black leather cord with a small crystal pendant. The crystal was not smooth. It was slightly long with facades on it.

"This necklace," Caelan said as she slipped it off, "is not just for display." She paused. "It is bathed with power from the Saeryl. It's just a crystal, not a shard of the Saeryl, but it has the ability to heal." She smiled at Tania. "It's yours now."

Tania, with her mouth agape, stared at the necklace with wide eyes. "I-I can't take that," she whispered. "That must be extremely valuable." She looked up at Caelan. "And we barely know each other."

Caelan laughed and shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Fairies are supposed to have a special bond with each other, no matter what. Something that you said earlier caught my attention. You said that you already died two times, right?"

Tania nodded slowly. "Right…"

"Well," the older fairy said, "I'm not sure if you know this, but that is very unnatural for a fairy. Most fairies have never experienced death, while you have experienced it _two _times. So please take this necklace, Tania. No one knows who I am, so I'm safe. You, however, are not. "

Tania shook her head. "I-I can't…"

Caelan sighed. "Don't you realize how dangerous being dead is? If you have this necklace, you don't have to worry about being extremely vulnerable for five minutes. You could just heal yourself the moment you get hurt."

Again, Tania shook her head. "I—"

"Take it," Caelan cut in. Her voice was firm, almost impatient. "If you don't take it, I'll end up throwing it since I don't need it." Actually, that was a lie, but Tania did not need to know that.

Tania sighed. Caelan seemed so set on giving it, though she didn't know why. Should she accept it? She did not know much about fairies, but she was certain that the necklace before her was extremely rare and valuable. Tania admitted that the necklace would be very helpful to her, but she didn't want Caelan doing something that she would regret later on.

She sighed softly. "All right," she said weakly. "But only if you're sure."

Caelan nodded. "I'm _very _sure," she said firmly.

Tania shrugged and took it. She clasped it around her neck. The necklace reminded her of the necklace that Kylee had given her. She hadn't worn that one yet, but she decided that she would take the stone pendant and join it along with the crystal pendant.

"I'm sure you don't know how to use it," Caelan said, breaking through the silence.

Tania shook her head. "No."

Caelan nodded. "All right. First of all, I must tell you that that necklace can only heal battle wounds. It does not have enough power to heal sicknesses or the like." She paused slightly. "The moment you get wounded, you have to take the crystal, place it just over the wound, and mentally order it to heal the wound. This may seem simple, but it's not. Because remember that when you get hurt, you barely have enough strength to move. You have to fight through the pain and force yourself to stay conscious. Do you understand, Tania?"

Tania nodded.

"Good. Do not overuse that crystal, because its power is limited. It will die overtime."

Tania nodded. It was in this moment when someone entered the armoury. Both fairies turned and realized that it was Darrin. They immediately ceased conversation.

A/N:

Sigh…this isn't exactly the best chapter, so sorry about that. And to those who are reading this, I will really appreciate it if you send a review! And I want to change the title (for some reason, "Eternal War" just doesn't cut it), so if you have any suggestions I can use, I'm all ears…


	14. Hunter and Prey

Chapter Twelve

"So what's going on in here?" Darrin asked.

_How nosy, _Tania scoffed. _He's probably on a break._

_Damn it._

She then realized that she was holding her sword. That meant only one thing: giving Darrin something to make fun of. Of course she knew that he was going to make fun of her. Tania? Purchasing a sword, thinking like she's some warrior even she really was not? Ridiculous.

She felt her jaw muscles tense up. Well, if he was going to make fun of her, she was going to be ready with good comebacks. She unconsciously death-gripped the handle of the sword.

Oh she could already imagine his smirk.

She turned around and tried to stare Darrin down. (Or was it up? After all, she _was_ shorter than him…Anyway…) Unfortunately, he was in the mood of playing "two can play this game" game. He unwaveringly stared back, the same smirk playing on his lips (surprise, surprise).

"Hello, Darrin," Caelan greeted cheerfully. "What brings you here?"

Darrin broke away from Tania's gaze (much to her delight) and grinned at Caelan. "Curious to know what Tania here"—he gestured towards the young fairy—"is up to."

Tania shot Caelan a don't-tell-him-anything-look. Or at least she tried to. Caelan, who was looking at Darrin, missed it.

"Tania wants to buy a sword," Caelan replied with a smile. She nodded her head towards Tania. "That one, in fact."

_Here we go, _Tania thought angrily as Darrin turned to look at her sword. He sniggered.

"A sword?" he said, grinning from ear to ear. "She can barely _lift_ one."

"Shut it," Tania muttered angrily.

Caelan, ignoring Tania, gave Darrin a stern look. "_You_ are not supposed to insult a young lady like that," she said. "And don't you dare tell me that she isn't a lady. None of that immaturity."

Darrin rolled his eyes. "Yes, _Mother_," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He received a fierce glare from Caelan, which shut him up.

Tania snickered. He was _finally_ told off. "Thank you, Caelan," she said courteously while ignoring Darrin's glower.

"But I am serious," Darrin spoke up. "She can barely lift one, I tell you."

"_She can learn,_" Caelan said exasperatedly. She turned and gave Tania a smile. "Maybe you can learn from Ethan. He's a nice young man."

"Hey!" Darrin cut in angrily. "_I'm _already teaching her!"

Tania raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you don't mind if I switch to Ethan instead?"

He scowled. "Yes, I do mind. I don't…" He suddenly stopped as his eyes travelled down to Tania's bosom.

Tania, noticing the movement of his eyes, gasped and clutched her chest protectively. "EYES UP, YOU SICK PERVERT!" she shouted, blushing furiously.

That startled Darrin. He blinked. He looked taken aback as he realized exactly _what_ he was looking at. But he regained composure in a split second. "Don't get excited," he said lazily. He smirked. "I was looking at your necklace." He turned to Caelan. "Don't you have something like that?"

Caelan gave him a look. Then she nodded and said, "I gave the necklace to her."

"Oh…"

"Well," Tania cut in, "I should go now. Farewell, Caelan." She placed her sword back on its proper place for safekeeping.

Caelan smiled at her. "Farewell. Come back soon, all right?"

Tania nodded. "Of course."

* * *

Tania saw Ethan leaning against the wall, his hands in his pockets. He was busy watching two boys spar with each other. Once in awhile, she would see him say something to the duellers. She supposed that he was giving out pointers.

She decided to approach him. She was a few metres closer when she caught his eyes. He smiled at her.

"Hi," he greeted.

Tania grinned. "Hi." She leaned next to him. "So…on a break, like Darrin?"

He nodded. "Yup. Where is he anyway?" He looked around, as if he was searching for his friend.

"He's in the armoury."

"Oh." He stopped searching and turned to look at her. "So…what is it like having Darrin as your teacher?"

Tania frowned in thought. _Well, let me see. We argue more than half the time. He's very annoying and bossy. He really gets in my nerves. I barely learn anything because I'm always so angry…_

"He's very picky," she said. "We fight a lot." She paused. "Here's a question for you: when you do a downward swinging cut, does it matter if it's 47 degrees and not 45?"

Ethan burst out laughing. "So he was _that _picky, huh?" he said, amused. "Well, that's Darrin for you. You can't blame him though. He's one of the best warriors around here, so naturally, he _has _to be picky. Best warriors always want perfect moves, you know."

"He's that good?!" Tania asked incredulously.

The duellers before them, the two boys, stopped fighting. They turned to Tania and Ethan. One grinned crookedly at Tania and said, "Of course! Darrin's great! I bet he can beat Ryder with one hand tied behind his back!"

Ethan snorted. "Stop exaggerating, Peter."

The other boy laughed. "Yeah, Peter. Ryder is unbeatable!"

Ryder was a famous warrior who travelled everywhere about, helping knights with their jobs. He had been in ogre hunts, he had stopped village raids…he had pretty much done everything. He was a very tall man, around 6'9. He was big, with bulging muscles in his arms and legs. He could crush a man's skull with his two hands. No one knew what he looked like, for he wore a black veil with the hood of his black cloak pulled up.

He had only been famous for a year. Before, no one knew who Ryder was, but after helping capture a group of deadly assassins, his fame grew. Citizens praised him, while criminals scorned him.

Peter sighed. "All right," he said. "Maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but Darrin _is _a good fighter."

Ethan shrugged. "Get back to your duel."

The two boys inside the ring exchanged looks. Then one jumped forth, and they began sparring once more.

Ethan turned to Tania. "If you're interested in that archery lesson, let me know," he said with a smile.

Tania's eyes lit up. "Really? You will actually teach me?"

He burst out laughing. "Of course," he said, amused. "Why would I lie about something like that?"

She grinned. "Wow…all right." She paused. "I think I have lessons from Darrin today. Maybe you can persuade him to lighten up a bit if you come over. That is, if you want to," she added hastily. She didn't want to _force_ Ethan into coming over if he was busy. She didn't want to be demanding.

Ethan smiled. "Why not? I don't think I have anything to do today."

"Great!" Tania exclaimed. "Wait here, while I tell Darrin."

She hurried back to the armoury. When she quietly entered, she noticed that the main room was empty. However, she could hear voices coming from the back room, and she knew that they were Darrin's and Caelan's.

They were arguing about something. But what about?

Tania, unconsciously holding her breath, crept near the entrance of the back room and listened quietly.

"I deserve to know!" she heard Darrin yell.

"Not today!" Caelan yelled back.

"That's not fair! Why are you doing this? Tell me! I _have _to know!"

_What does Darrin have to know? Why are they arguing like this? _Tania thought. She felt guilty at being such an eavesdropper, but the heated argument between the two got her curious. Why were these two so angry at each other?

"Stop it, Darrin! Today's not the right time!"

"Oh?" Darrin scoffed. "Then when _is_ the right time? You keep stalling, and I _don't_ appreciate it! Will you just get over it and _confess_ whatever you're _hiding_?"

Then there was a tense silence. Tania could have sworn she could hear Darrin's heavy breathing, as if he was trying hard not to explode with anger. It was almost scary. But it was more confusing. This situation was out of place…

"Fine," came Caelan's weary voice. "I'll tell you."

This should have been the cue for Tania. She should have acknowledged her presence. But she was frozen in spot, holding her breath for whatever Caelan's confession was…

"_Ahem_."

Tania let out a little squeak and whirled around. She found herself looking at a handsome man, who looked to be about Caelan's age. He had golden brown hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Um…h-hi," Tania muttered.

Caelan and Darrin came out of the back room. Tania turned and saw Darrin staring at her with an expression on his face that she couldn't understand one bit. Caelan was frowning.

"How long have you been there?" Darrin asked suspiciously.

"N-not long…" Tania sputtered.

"What did you hear?" Caelan asked.

"Nothing!" Tania said. "I didn't hear anything."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Tania squeaked out.

Caelan gave her one suspicious look before turning to the man before her. "Hello, Vance. Did you get it?"

Vance, Caelan's husband, nodded and held up a sack. "Yes." He turned to Tania. "I don't believe we've met."

"I'm…um…Tania."

Vance nodded, but said nothing. Darrin spoke up next.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Tania.

"I came here to ask you if we have lessons today."

"Yeah, we do."

"Great. Oh, and, Ethan's coming."

"WHAT?!"

Tania shrugged. "He's teaching me archery."

Darrin scowled. "I was going to teach you that."

"Too bad. Ethan offered first."

"Then don't take the offer."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"That's being rude."

Darrin scoffed. "That's never a problem with you."

Tania's glared. "Jerk," she muttered. "Anyway, I'm going now. _And Ethan's teaching me archery._"

She smiled sheepishly at Caelan and Vance before turning around and walking away.

"Ethan's not coming!" she heard Darrin yell as she exited the armoury.

"We'll see," Tania said coolly without looking back.

* * *

"I thought I told you that Ethan's not coming," Darrin said bitterly as he approached Tania. He looked over the girl's shoulder and scowled as he watched Ethan sway his sword around, with Kylee watching him.

Tania gave him a look. "What are you? Afraid of competition or something?" she asked suspiciously.

Darrin glared. "No!" he said angrily. "Ethan's no match for me."

Tania clapped half-heartedly. "Very modest," she commented dryly.

He glared once more. Then he sighed heavily, took Tania's wrist, and led the way to the field. Ethan, in the middle of his "exhibition," looked up and grinned at the approaching people.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," Darrin said dully.

Ethan frowned. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing!" Darrin snapped. "Let's just start."

Ethan gave him a look. Then he shrugged and said, "Okay."

Tania sighed quietly as she watched Darrin sway his sword a couple of times, a scowl planted on his lips.

This was going to be one looong practice.

* * *

It was night time, and Tania was in the dining room, eating her supper. Weston was not present. Earlier, after the lessons with Darrin and Ethan, she had given him orders that would force him to behave well. She must have given him a hundred commands. Weston was now furious with her, which was the only possible reason for locking himself up in his room and moping.

Her thoughts strayed back to the lessons. It was a disaster. Darrin criticized almost everything that Ethan had said, while Ethan did the same. They kept arguing about so many pointless things that most of the time, Kylee and Tania were just…_there_.

Men and their rivalry were stupid. It was obvious that Darrin was trying to make himself look better, while Ethan was doing the same. The result was a long, tiring day of:

"That is not how you do it. Your stance is wrong."

"What are you talking about?! My stance is right!"

"Oh, please. You're standing like a beginner."

(Snort) "And you're teaching like a beginner."

"Say that again."

"I said—"

"Stop it, you two!"

"I'm just trying to correct him. His teachings are all wrong."

"What are you talking about?! My—"

"Shut up, you two! Both of your teachings are the same that neither Tania nor I can tell the difference!"

That was pretty much how it went. Bickers and more bickers. Tania was amused that Darrin found someone _else _to take his anger out on. She and Kylee were mildly surprised that the day didn't end with a fistfight. Tania wondered who would have won if they _did _fistfight.

Once again, men and their rivalry were stupid.

Tania sighed and rose from the table. She went outside the manor and took in the cool, evening breeze. She grinned. It seemed to be the perfect night to go flying.

So, she did. She bent her knees, jumped, and took off.

* * *

Tania landed on the ground. She was at the empty marketplace. Why did she always enjoy night time outings, especially in the marketplace? Well, probably because this was the only time where she could go out at a public place without people staring at her.

She walked around, enjoying how _quiet _it was. No one whispering loudly or pointing at her direction. Ah, yes. How she enjoyed night time.

She suddenly heard a small noise from behind. Tania turned, but she was barely halfway through her turn when something hard came in contact with her head.

Everything went black and she crumpled to the ground.

* * *

"Here," said a deep, very soothing voice, "drink this."

Tania, too exhausted to protest and too dizzy to think about her situation, parted her lips when she felt something wet on them. Cool liquid slid her throat. She realized that it was water.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pinch in her chest.

This alerted her. Her eyes opened at once and she bolted up, wincing as she felt a throbbing pain at the side of her head.

How could she have been so _stupid_?! Just because the person had a soothing voice didn't mean that he was actually a _nice _guy! Now she had been drugged! _Again!_

She tried to fly. It didn't work.

She mentally smacked herself. _Obviously not, _her mind scoffed. _Because you were stupid enough to accept the water! _

Tania was ready to cry. _Not again. Please not again._

She looked around and found herself staring at one—two—three…five men in total. Great. Just great. What even made the situation greater was that they were wearing masks. Cowards. Didn't want to reveal their identities, did they?

She glanced at her surroundings. They were still outside. She felt no draft, so she knew that they were in an alleyway. It was also darker than usual.

"What do you want?" she asked quietly. _Please don't let there be a third death. Please don't let there be a third death. Please don't let there be a third death._

_Please don't let there be any pain, period._

"You're a fairy, right?" one of them spoke up.

"Unfortunately," Tania mumbled.

"We have a job for you."

Tania glared at them. "Someone has already tried that on me, so don't think that _you _will succeed!"

_Ah, but _Darrin_ was there to save you, remember? _her brain jeered.

_Shut. Up._

One of them snarled, stepped forward, and kicked Tania in the ribs. Tania let out a hurt cry.

Then something dawned on her. _What am I doing?! I can just scream!_

So, she did. The reaction was incredible. The moment the sound emitted her lips, all five men darted forward, jerked her up, and covered her mouth. Before Tania could bite the man's hand, she felt a powerful fist connect with her jaw. There was a loud and disgusting _cracking _sound. It would not take a genius to realize that the puncher just broke her jaw.

Tania crashed to the hard ground. She let out a very soft moan as she stroked her jaw. Tears started up in her eyes.

_I said no more pain! _she thought angrily. She tried to open her mouth, but that resulted in more prickling pains. It really _hurt_.

Her thought suddenly strayed towards the necklace Caelan had given her. Of course! The crystal could heal her! She reached for her neck. She felt nothing. Tania cursed to herself. Of course…she had taken it off before taking a bath, and had forgotten to put it back on. Could she be any more _stupid_?

Someone grasped her arm and jerked her to her feet. Tania stood, her knees shaking slightly.

"Now listen to me," one of them snarled, "you are going to rob the royal palace for us."

How blunt of him. The royal palace?! Did they think that she wanted a death wish?! No one had successfully robbed the royal palace before!

She shot them a glare. She wished that she could say something, or maybe even just _spit _at them. How could they even think like this?

She shook her head, emphasising her "no."

"We thought you'd say that. We have a good way of convincing people to do what we want, you know."

_I'm sure you do, _Tania thought wryly. _Did you rehearse that with Weston?_

She paused. _Is Weston part of this? But…he can't be. _

The man nodded at a companion. The companion nodded back and walked off from the group. He reappeared almost instantly, but this time, he wasn't alone. He was grasping a very young and frail-looking girl by her arm, dragging her towards the group.

Tania stared at the young girl. She wore a gag and her wrists were tied together. She didn't look to be older than seven. She wore very tattered clothing, and her long brown hair was a mess. She was a peasant.

What scared Tania the most was the expression in the little girl's brown eyes. They were full of terror. They were also full of pleading, as if to say, "Please help me."

It hurt Tania seeing that. She turned away and focussed on the man before her, giving him a "What do you mean by this?" look.

The man seemed to have understood. He sneered. "Here's what I have to say: If you refuse to rob the palace, we won't hesitate to kill this girl."

Tania's eyes widened.

"That's right," the man continued. "The life of this stupid wench is in your hands. Refuse once again, and you'll see her die a gruesome death before your very eyes."

This left Tania in a very tight situation. She could lie and pretend to give in. But no…that wouldn't stop them from killing the girl if they found out. Unless…wait…she could save the girl and hide her somewhere safe… But then again, that wouldn't stop them from finding another victim and killing that victim just to spite her.

She could say yes for now and find out a way to get out of it later on. Yes…that seemed to be the best choice.

Tania glanced at the little girl. The girl still looked as terrified as ever. Tania turned away and stared at the ground. She could feel the tears threatening to spill.

She nodded slowly.

"Good," she heard the man speak up. "Very good. We'll meet here tomorrow, same time. You got that?"

Tania nodded again. How many minutes had passed? Did she have her powers back?

She tried to levitate. Nothing.

"Look at me," she heard a gruff voice.

She looked up and gave the speaker a questioning look.

"Here's something to act as a reminder if you're thinking of doing anything stupid."

Tania frowned. What the hell did he mean by that?

Her question was answered in a split second. The man reached over and grabbed the peasant girl from his companion. Wait…what was he holding with his other hand?

Tania's eyes widened. It was a dagger.

"Watch, fairy," he sneered. "Watch and learn."

It happened too fast. One moment, the dagger was high in the air, and the next moment, the little girl was lying on the ground, a dagger in her ribs and dark red blood pouring out of her. The girl had died instantly.

The man's voice seemed so far away when he spoke up. "We have more little girls to kill, so don't worry."

Tania paled. Her knees fell to the ground, but she didn't seem to have noticed the impact. She was just staring. Staring at the cold, lifeless girl.

It began to drizzle. Cool water droplets fell from the dark sky. It was gentle at first, small pitter-pats, but soon the drizzle turned into heavy rain.

Tania remained where she was. Her body felt frozen, rooted to the ground.

She then saw the girl rise from the ground. Wait! That couldn't be right! The girl was a corpse now! She was _dead_.

Wait…the girl was being _lifted _by one of the men. Oh.

"Can't have people seeing this now, can we?" she vaguely heard someone say. "We'll see you tomorrow."

She didn't even notice them leave. She continued to stare. Stare at the spot where the little girl had been lying.

_It's my fault. A girl died because of me. An innocent little girl. I'm… a…a… murderer…_

She didn't notice the tears that streamed down her cheeks. The word "murderer" kept on replaying in her mind. Thunder boomed at a distance. It was her fault. Her blood's fault. If she wasn't a _fairy_, this would never have happened. It was because of her being a damn fairy…

Suddenly, she heard someone. "Tania?! Is that you?"

The voice sounded so far-off…

The rain was too loud…

A/N:

If you can guess who that was, I'll give you a cookie. I'm sure all of you will get it. And I've decided to stop this at chapter 13, and continue this as a "new" story. Do you get what I mean? Meaning, 1-13 will be part I, and the ones after that will be part II. Part I is Tania's life in Geldrin, and part II is the exciting part, you know? The part where she's in Kyrria and all that. Anyway, if you don't get what I mean, I'm sorry. Please review! They're the ones that keep me going. =)


	15. Life's End

A/N:

This is the very last chapter. I will be continuing this as another story, okie? =D And thank you so much for your reviews!!! I wasn't expecting that much since I thought that only three or four people were reading this, so I was pretty much surprised and really, really ecstatic. I have an embarrassing story to tell, but you'd have to go to my other story (A Happy Ending?) to read it, since I don't want to repeat it again. Anything else to say? Thinking…thinking…nope. Don't think so. Read on…

Recap:

_It's my fault. A girl died because of me. An innocent little girl. I'm… a…a… murderer…_

She didn't notice the tears that streamed down her cheeks. The word "murderer" kept on replaying in her mind. Thunder boomed at a distance. It was her fault. Her blood's fault. If she wasn't a _fairy_, this would never have happened. It was because of her being a damn fairy…

Suddenly, she heard someone. "Tania?! Is that you?"

The voice sounded so far-off…

The rain was too loud…

Chapter Thirteen

She vaguely heard footsteps. Then she felt someone gently grab her by the shoulders, shaking her slightly. Who was that? Why couldn't they leave her alone? She slowly looked up, her mind in a lost trance.

She blinked once, and when she did, the beads of rainwater that clung to her eyelashes fell off.

She saw deep pools of midnight ocean. Someone's eyes…

Darrin?

Yes, it was Darrin. (A/N: Cookies for whoever got it right!) Darrin was here. His blond hair was completely drenched, and it was the same with his clothes. He didn't seem to care.

He reached out and gently slid his fingers over her visibly broken jaw. His touch was barely there. "What happened?" he asked softly.

A strangled noise erupted from the back of her throat. She looked down and avoided his gaze as tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks.

"What happened?" Darrin asked again. He lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his intense eyes.

Tania pulled away from him. She shook her head.

He nodded. "All right. We'll talk later. Let's get out of this rain." He gently took her by the arm and pulled. She wouldn't budge. "Come on, Tania," he said in slight frustration. "We have to get out of here."

He was not sure if she had heard him. Her head was bowed down and her eyes were closed. She acted as if she didn't notice the rain.

"_Tania_," he said, more loudly and gruffly this time, "let's _go_. It's raining!"

She slowly looked up, and her purple eyes met his blue ones. Darrin softened. The emotions playing in her eyes were readable. She looked so…lost. And scared.

She broke the gaze and bowed her head once again. Darrin sighed softly.

"Tania, I don't know what happened that made you this upset, but can we please leave? Do you realize that we're both wet and shivering?"

She ignored him. Darrin let out another sigh.

"If you don't move right now, then I'll be forced to _carry_ you."

She still ignored him. This worried Darrin. When he said that teasing remark, he had expected her to glare at him and yell, "I think not!" Anything but this deafening silence. It bothered him. What was wrong with her?

Then it hit him. She was in shock. He mentally smacked himself. Why didn't he see it before?

"Tania," he said strongly, "I'm going to carry you, all right?"

No answer.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Still no answer. He sighed.

"Fine." He paused. "Don't get mad at me afterwards." With this, he bent down and scooped her up easily. Tania did not protest. She was still as silent as ever.

"You're no feather," he teased, trying to get a reaction from her.

There was still none.

He sighed. "All right. Let's go."

They left the alley with her in his capable arms.

* * *

Darrin reached the manor after a few minutes of walking in the rain. He stopped at the front door and was about to set Tania down when he noticed that her eyes were closed. Her chest was rising and falling slowly.

She was sleeping. He decided not to wonder how that was even possible. (It was raining hard, for crying out loud.)

The door opened and Georgia's face came into view. Her eyes swept over Tania's sleeping figure. "What happened here?" she asked frantically.

"I just found her. She's sleeping," Darrin said half-heartedly.

"But what happened?!" Georgia demanded angrily.

Darrin glared. "I don't know!" he shot back.

Georgia opened her mouth, about to retort something, but the moment her eyes took in Darrin's exhausted face, she shut up. "All right," she said quietly. "Bring her in."

Darrin nodded and entered the house. He silently followed Georgia up the stairs, down the hallway, and into Tania's bedroom.

"Just set her on the bed. I'll change her clothes," Georgia instructed.

Darrin walked over to the bed and gently set Tania down. His eyes swept over her very pale face. He let out a heavy, shattered sigh.

"You may leave," Georgia said.

Darrin nodded. "I'll be back in the morning. To see how she is."

He left the bedroom, but not before stealing one last look at the sleeping girl.

* * *

Tania's eyes fluttered open. She winced when she was greeted by the overly bright sunlight pouring through the window. Where _was_ she?

She took one look at her surroundings. Oh. She was in her bedroom. How did she get there?

She tried to go back to last night's events. She frowned. Why couldn't she remember what happened? She remembered eating supper, but that was it. What happened after supper?

AND WHY DID HER JAW HURT A LOT?

She rose from her bed. She changed into a simple blue dress that had a tight bodice and flowing skirt. She glanced at the looking glass and was startled at seeing her reflection.

She looked absolutely horrible. Her wavy, chestnut-brown hair was a complete mess. It was slightly damp as well. She wondered why. She had dark circles under her eyes (which were puffy for some reason) and her cheeks were paler than usual.

She walked over to her vanity table, took her brush, and began to untangle the knots. When she was somewhat satisfied with her hair, she placed it back down on the table. The crystal necklace caught her eye.

Without thinking, she picked it up and placed the crystal over her jaw. She closed her eyes and waited.

A cooling sensation seeped through her skin. It felt so soothing and gentle. Tania opened her eyes and saw that the crystal was glowing brightly. A pure, golden light was bathing her skin.

A few seconds later, she pulled the crystal away. The light disappeared. And so did the pain in her jaw. She smiled appreciatively at the rare crystal.

The stone necklace, Kylee's gift, then caught her eye.

_No use wearing two cords at the same time, _she thought. Picking up the stone necklace, she took off the blue stone pendant from its leather cord and placed it in the crystal pendant's leather cord. Now she had two pendants in one cord. Satisfied, she fastened it around her neck.

She went down the stairs in high spirits, despite her rugged appearance.

* * *

"Tania!"

Tania turned and saw Georgia heading towards her.

She smiled. "Good morning, Georgia," she greeted cheerfully.

Georgia frowned at her. "How can you be so happy? Care to explain what happened last night?"

Tania knitted her brow. "What are you talking about?"

Georgia growled in frustration. "Darrin took you home last night. You were soaked to the bone, Tania! Where _were_ you last night?!"

Tania stammered. "I…I-I can't remember…"

It was the truth. She couldn't remember what happened after eating supper. Everything was just lost to her.

"How can you not remember? I—"

"I have to go," Tania cut in. She sidestepped and rushed off before Georgia could say another word.

Tania scampered down the hallway as she ran over to the front door. She opened it, and before she knew what was happening, she crashed into something hard and lost her footing. She yelped and braced herself for an impact with the hard ground.

It never came. A hand shot out, grabbed her by her arm, and steadied her. Tania looked up, startled.

Blue eyes.

"Darrin!" she said in surprise.

She didn't give him a chance to speak. Instead, she grabbed his hand and dragged him off with her. Darrin didn't resist. He just let her lead him to…wherever.

He found himself in the manor's huge garden. Tania released his hand and looked at him with an intense gaze.

"What happened last night?!" she asked tersely. "Georgia told me that you took me home. WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!"

Darrin arched an eyebrow. "I was just about to ask the same thing."

Tania blanched. "But…I-I don't remember…" she whispered.

He nodded. "That's understandable. You were in shock when I found you."

"Found me?" Tania echoed.

"You were in an alleyway, crying." He paused. "And I saw blood nearby. It wasn't yours was it?"

Tania stared at him. "What are you talking about? Blood?"

Wait a minute…

It all flooded back to her in an instant, hitting her like a strong wave. She paled. Being drugged…the men…break of her jaw…

The little girl. Dead. Gone. A corpse.

"I'm a murderer," Tania whispered.

Darrin gave her a look. "What?"

She began to breathe heavily. Hellfire, the girl! The girl…the little girl… "I-I…"

She fell on her knees.

"Tania!" Darrin cried out. He stooped down and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her. "Don't go into shock again! Calm down!"

Tania, still breathing heavily, stared at Darrin. Her eyes were full of terror. "I-I c-can't…," she panted. "M-murderer…" She began to sob loudly. Tears poured down her cheeks. She then let out a strangled cry and buried her face in her hands.

"Tania…" She felt Darrin shake her by the shoulders. "Calm down and tell me what happened."

She sobbed louder. She began to rock back and forth, back and forth.

"Tania!" Darrin shouted. He grabbed her wrists and pulled them away from her face. Then he cupped her chin and tilted it. "Look into my eyes," he ordered.

Tania closed her eyes and shook her head. Her lips quivered. Her breathing was rugged. "I-I'm…m-murderer…murderer, murderer, murderer," she chanted softly. Her eyes were still closed.

"Look at me, Tania. _Look at me,_" he said sternly. He was still holding her chin. "Open your eyes."

Very slowly and reluctantly, she opened her eyes. She stared into his blue orbs.

"You're shaking," Darrin whispered. "Calm down." He placed a thumb over her cheek and wiped a stray tear away.

Tania gulped. "I-I…"

"Calm down," he whispered again.

Before she knew what was happening, Tania found herself enveloped by his two strong arms. Her eyes widened slightly; she was startled to find that his embrace was very warm and comforting.

Shrugging of the thought that this was _Darrin _holding her _intimately_, she let out a soft sob and buried her head in his solid chest. "I'm a m-murderer," she whimpered.

Darrin released her from his embrace, though reluctantly. He then placed his hands at the sides of her face and looked deep into her eyes. "Tell me what happened," he said firmly.

Tania gulped, then slowly nodded. Darrin released her from his hold.

She took a deep breath and began. "I went to the marketplace. It was empty. I heard this noise from behind, and before I knew what was happening, I was hit in the head. When I woke up, this drink was immediately thrust to me. Without thinking, I drank. The drink sealed my powers." Tania paused, using this time to mentally scream at herself for such stupidity.

Darrin spoke up. "And…?"

"And there were men…five or six…they told me they had a job for me. They wanted me to rob the royal palace." She paused and swallowed. "I…I said no. Then they showed me this little girl and told me that if I refuse, they will kill her. I said yes after that. The leader, I think, then told me to meet them tomorrow—or rather today—same time, same place."

She paused. The girl's death was nearing. She couldn't bear to say it. Darrin was going to see her as a murderer…but it was true, wasn't it? She _was _a murderer…

"Continue," he said.

Tania nodded. "They were about to leave, but they did this one last thing." She gulped. "They…th-they killed her," she whispered. "The girl. They told me that it would act as a reminder if I'm thinking of doing anything stupid."

"So you didn't kill her," Darrin said.

"I did!" Tania protested. "It was _my _fault she died!"

"But you didn't stab her, did you?"

Tania shook her head. "No, but—"

"You're not a murderer, Tania," Darrin cut in. "Stop blaming yourself."

Anger instantly flashed in Tania's eyes. She bolted up and shot him a hot, furious glare. "**IT _WAS_ MY FAULT!**" she screamed. "**DON'T YOU SEE, DARRIN? SHE DIED BECAUSE OF WHO I AM! IF I WAS NOT A DAMN FAIRY, THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED! I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE! I WOULD NOT HAVE CAPTURED _THEIR _ATTENTION!**"

Darrin rose from the ground. "No," he said sternly. "It is _not _your fault! Stop this, Tania! Just stop!"

"**NO!**" Tania screamed. "**I HATE BEING A FAIRY! I HATE BEING _HERE_! I WISH I COULD JUST _LEAVE_ THIS ****STUPID PLACE**** AND _NEVER_ COME BACK!**"

Tania suddenly paused as it all registered into her. _Leave this place and never come back…_

_Of course. Why not? I can just leave this all behind. Start a brand new life._

"Tania…" Darrin said quietly.

Tania looked up and met his gaze. "I can leave," she whispered.

"Tania, don't—"

"I can just _leave_," she said, more loudly this time. "Leave all this behind and never look back..."

"Tania, I—" Darrin gasped. "Why did you just do that?!" he demanded.

Tania's eyes were now a chocolate brown. All of the purple, the hint of her heritage, had vanished.

Now, she looked fully human.

"So that people won't know that I am a fairy," she said softly.

"But people already _know _that you're a fairy," Darrin protested.

"No. I'm not talking about here."

He gave her a look. "Where then?"

"Somewhere else." Tania gave him a sad smile. "Goodbye, Darrin," she murmured. "Thank you for everything. And say goodbye to Kylee for me."

Darrin started when he saw that the image of her was _dissolving_. "No!" he cried out. He instantly reached over and made to grab her arm.

He caught nothing but air.

Tania had teleported out. The scary thing was that he did not know _where_.

* * *

Teleporting was such an odd way of travelling. The moment Tania used her power, a brief moment of darkness overcame her. Then she found herself hovering in what seemed to be in another dimension for a _split _second. Another brief moment of darkness followed, and then she found herself standing at an empty, grassy clearing. Not a person was in sight. In fact, not a sign of _civilization _was in sight.

The world spun around her and she collapsed to the ground. She felt really queasy…

She let out a strangled sound and retched out last night's contents. Another wave of dizziness hit her. The scorching sun burned her skin like acid.

Then she lost consciousness.

* * *

When Tania opened her eyes, she was surprised to see that it was slightly dark, as if the sun had just finished setting. She had been out of it for a whole day? She didn't realize that teleporting required a lot of her energy. But how come Lucinda didn't get sick when she did it? She even had a scent of lilacs going on, for crying out loud!

She sighed and remained lying on the ground. She was still feeling slightly dizzy.

Her thoughts strayed towards the life she just left behind. She had no intention whatsoever on coming back. Darrin, Kylee, her life at the manor, and everything else were all behind her now.

She frowned. Never see Kylee or Darrin again? That seemed…hard.

_All right, _she thought. _I could visit in five years or so…_

She sighed and stood up. She felt much better now. She dusted her dress and looked around.

_Where am I? I had been lying in a…field?_

She shrugged to herself. She then bent her knees, jumped, and hovered in the air. _Hmmm…where to? _she thought.

_Wherever you want, _an inner voice answered.

She smiled. _I like that._

* * *

Lights up ahead caught Tania's attention. She realized that it was a town. Finally! A sign of civilization!

She landed on a rough-looking path just at the outskirts of a tame forest. The path led straight to the town. _That's where I'm going to start my new life, _she thought, gazing at it.

_As a human. And humans don't have powers, do they?_

_No, they don't. _

Tania paused. She stared at the town before her. _I'm a human. I'm not a fairy! _

_Humans don't have powers._

That thought led to Tania's next action. Closing her eyes, she did the last deed that only a fairy would do. _Release my power. Release my power. Release my power._

There was a sudden gust of strong wind. Tania felt something invisible leave through her mouth. It was like feeling soft smoke come out in swirls.

When this was done, she felt a very powerful force hovering lazily in the atmosphere. Tania started, realizing that it was her fairy power. It was now lingering in the air, waiting to be stolen by a new owner… No, not stolen. Accepted.

For some reason, she tried to levitate. Nothing happened. Her power was really gone this time. Sighing, she went on her way towards the town.

She barely took two steps when she felt an abrupt gust of wind from behind. She immediately turned around.

Darkness and an odd, eerie silence greeted her. Everything was abnormally still and silent. And there was also this feeling…she felt as if she was being watched.

_Odd, _Tania thought. _Really odd. _She shuddered._ I better get out of here. This place is starting to scare me._

She turned back around. She only took three or four steps when realization on something dawned on her.

She could no longer sense her power. It was gone.

* * *

Tania finally reached the town. It was a quaint little town, with tidy streets and decent shops. She saw that there were still a couple of people walking about, but most of the streets were already empty.

She felt a small tap on her shoulder. Tania turned and found herself looking at a short, plump woman. She had a kind face, with soft brown eyes and a pleasant smile. She was clad in commoner's clothes.

"You should be getting home now, little missy," she said gently.

Tania smiled. What caused her to smile was based on two things. One was because of the woman's kindness. The other one was because the woman was not talking in Geldrin's tongue.

Tania was no longer in Geldrin.

No…she was in Kyrria.

And here, in this country, was where her brand new life would start.

A/N:

That's the end of this!!! Part I is over and done with! Please review! I'm searching for possible titles for Part II. Any suggestions?


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